Roman Chariot RacingBy Dean Schwartz

Background Information• Greek chariot racing• Etruscan chariot racing• Roman chariot racing• One of oldest sports of Rome (6th century B.C.E.)• By legend, racing was used by Romulus to distract the Sabine

men during the Rape of the Sabine Women to take the women to Rome

• Held in the Circus• Religious purposes• Entertainment• Charioteer, chariot, and horses

Charioteer• Leather helmet• Knee pads• Shin pads• Colored tunics (vestis quadrigaria) according to team• Four major teams (factiones)

• Green (Prasini)• Red (Russata)• White (Alba)• Blue (Veneta)

• Hair in a curly style• Reigns in left hand, whip in right• Knife on back to cut free in case of crash

Winning Charioteers• Receive lots of money• Fame• Well-known throughout people• If slave, retrieve freedom• Famous Charioteers• Pontius Epaphroditus• Pompeius Musclosus• Gaius Appuleius Diocles

• 1462 victories

Types of Chariots• Team of horses - auriga• Bigae - two horses• Trigae - three horses• Quadrigae - four horses• Sejuges - six horses• Septemjuges - seven horses

Racing Chariot vs. Military Chariot

Racing Chariot• Small• Lightweight• Weak• Little protection

Military Chariot• Large• Very heavy• Strong• Lots of protection

Circus Maximus• Between Palatine Hill and Aventine Hill• Could seat 250,000

Day at the Races• Parade (pompa circensis)• One who sponsors race• Charioteers and teams• Musicians and dancers• Priest carrying statues of gods and goddesses

• Up to 12 racers• 12 races per day, later 24• Sounding of trumpet• Emperor dropped cloth (mappa) signaling beginning of race• 7 laps• Could move in front of opposition, causing to crash into spinae

(tables with pieces of marble in shapes of eggs or dolphins)

Tomb of Roman official

Sources• http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/circus.html• http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_rome/Ancient_Roman_

Chariot_Races.htm• http://www.unrv.com/culture/chariot-races.php• http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/00418/chariot.html• http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Chariot_racing/id/1955

150• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ROMchariot.htm• http://

www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,566242,00.html