Roman chariot racing Flashcards
When is it believed that Chariot racing was introduced to Rome
in 8th century BC by Romulus
What was the biggest Circus called?
the Circus Maximus
Where was the circus maximus located?
in a small valley in the city of rome
What was the capacity of the circus maximus
250,000
How long and wide was the track of the circus maximus
600m long and 150m wide
What was the dividing bank of the track called?
the spina
what does the ‘spina’ translate to in English
backbone
What was the curved end of the spina decorated with and what was it called?
decorated with three posts known as metae
what were metae made of?
gilded bronze
what other monuments where on the spina?
-large red obelisk from Egypt marking Augusts’ conquest of Egypt
-symbols of gods
-seven large wooden eggs
What did the seven large wooden eggs symbolise?
they would be lowered to indicate how many of the 7 laps had been completed
What were the starting cages in the circus maximus called?
Carceres
How many starting cages were there and what was special about them
there were 12 with a staggered start along with a spring loaded start gate
What was the circus maximus made out of?
brick-faced concrete
How many tiers were there, who sat in them and what were they made out of?
There were three. Lowest in marble for VIPS eg. state priests, senators and equites. The other two were made from stone and could seat anyone.
What made the circus maximus different from the colosseum in terms of seating?
the circus maximus was not separated, so men woman and children of different societies could sit together
Who paid for the games at the circus maximus ?
either by the emperor, or by a senior politician
why would a senior politician pay for the games?
as a chance to win popularity
How would a day at the games open?
the sponsor of the games, led the entry parade that began the day’s events
Behind him came the charioteers and horses, as well as musicians and soldiers, who carried images of the gods and goddesses believed to be present at the races. these were carried to the imperial box
What would the chariot races consist of?
consisted of seven laps of the track in an anti-clock wise direction and lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes
How many races where in a day?
24
How many horses usually pulled one chariot?
4
Which emperor famously took part in a ten horse chariot race and when?
Nero in 67 AD
What was the racing start signal?
the dropping of a white cloth
What would charioteers wear?
wear a tunic, colour- coded to his team, and a leather helmet, and he would also carry a whip
How would a charioteer use the reins on the horse?
wrapped them around his body and steered by transferring his weight from one side to another
What was the danger with how charioteers used reins and how was this solved?
if he crashed he was in danger of being dragged along by the reins and so he carried a knife with him to cut
himself free.
What was the most difficult part of the circuit and why?
the metae
-charioteer would have to find a balance between not going out too wide, thereby wasting valuable seconds, and not drawing too close to the spina, so risking a crash
What would the winning charioteer recieve?
When the race was over, the sponsor of the games presented the winning charioteer with a palm branch, while the payments to him and his team were made at the end of the day
What were the 4 teams that competed in Rome?
the Reds, the Whites, the Blues and the Greens
How many charioteers would usually race for each team?
3
What would the owner of each team do?
super vised his team’s set of stables
and employed many staff, including stable- boys, trainers and vets
TRUE OR FALSE
Charioteers were paid little?
FALSE owners paid huge prices to sign the best
Where were most charioteers origin from and what were they given the status of?
low-born origin, given status of infamis
Who was the most celebrated Charioteer in Roman History?
Diocles
What else did roman follow other than charioteers?
the horses kept statistics about them, such as their breed and pedigree
Where were racehorses purpose-bred
in stud farms found mostly in north africa and spain
What was the name of one the most popular racehorses and how many races did it win?
victor, he won 429 times
What would roman supporters do that showed their passion?
-wear colours of their favourite teams
-heavy betting
-curse tablets
What is one source that shows how extreme some fans were?
Roman writer records that at the funeral of a Red charioteer, a supporter was so devastated that he threw himself onto the funeral pyre.
What is a curse tablet?
a tablet on which someone wrote a prayer to the gods asking them to put a curse on an enemy
Who would supporters put curses on?
rival teams and charioteers
Where is one inscription of a curse tablet found?
in north africa
