Circus Maximus, Rome
THE GAMES HELD IN THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS. The Valley laurcia, between the Palatine and Aventine hills had been sacred to ancient Roman cults since protohistoric times. It would later become the location of choice for number of events from religious processions and triumphs to public games. (. ) The chariot races were the Roman favourite form of entertainment, they grew out of religious festivals that featured horse races. Over time these races evolved into sports events that took place in permanent structures built for this purpose.
The Chariot races began with a parade (pompa) led by lictors and trumpeters and brought up by the magistrate, then a procession featuring the charioteers and priests escorting images of the divinities come aloft on litres or horse drawn chariots. The procession around the race track passed the central medium strip or spina, and stopped before the emperor's viewing stand or pulvinar. The Chariots were light two wheeled wooden vehicles drawn by horses. (usually four) and a driver by a charioteer. During the race, they had to run Counter Clockwise around the track and perform seven laps past the retae, the turning posts situated at either end of the spina. This was adorned with the seven eggs sacred to Castor and Pollux and seven dolphins sacred to Neptune, which served as a lap counters for the races. The greatest challenge faced by the drivers was the moment they had to speed past the turning posts on their chariots, which were prone to topple over and cause fatal accidents. For this reason the horse located on the left was normally the better of the four.
There were four teams (factiones) each with its own colour. white, red, green, blue. The charioteers wore helmets ad short tunics the colour of their own teams and belts at the waist with the reins wrapped around their chest, they held the bridle in one hand and a whip in the other. They never rode without a dagger to cut the reins in case of an accident. (naufragium) The winning charioteer received palm leaves and laurel wreaths along with handsome sums of money, and was acclaimed as a hero, the crowds much like modern champions today. However the real stars of the race were the horses. Their tails held high in tight knots, their elaborate studded harnesses glittering in the sun, the race horses were so popular with the spectators and so famous that their names appeared in mosaics and were inscribed in stone. on walls and trophies, on the rims of lamps and bronze plaques, There were several each day and a betting industry flourished.
Circus Maximus, Rome
THE GAMES HELD IN THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS. The Valley laurcia, between the Palatine and Aventine hills had been sacred to ancient Roman cults since protohistoric times. It would later become the location of choice for number of events from religious processions and triumphs to public games. (. ) The chariot races were the Roman favourite form of entertainment, they grew out of religious festivals that featured horse races. Over time these races evolved into sports events that took place in permanent structures built for this purpose.
The Chariot races began with a parade (pompa) led by lictors and trumpeters and brought up by the magistrate, then a procession featuring the charioteers and priests escorting images of the divinities come aloft on litres or horse drawn chariots. The procession around the race track passed the central medium strip or spina, and stopped before the emperor's viewing stand or pulvinar. The Chariots were light two wheeled wooden vehicles drawn by horses. (usually four) and a driver by a charioteer. During the race, they had to run Counter Clockwise around the track and perform seven laps past the retae, the turning posts situated at either end of the spina. This was adorned with the seven eggs sacred to Castor and Pollux and seven dolphins sacred to Neptune, which served as a lap counters for the races. The greatest challenge faced by the drivers was the moment they had to speed past the turning posts on their chariots, which were prone to topple over and cause fatal accidents. For this reason the horse located on the left was normally the better of the four.
There were four teams (factiones) each with its own colour. white, red, green, blue. The charioteers wore helmets ad short tunics the colour of their own teams and belts at the waist with the reins wrapped around their chest, they held the bridle in one hand and a whip in the other. They never rode without a dagger to cut the reins in case of an accident. (naufragium) The winning charioteer received palm leaves and laurel wreaths along with handsome sums of money, and was acclaimed as a hero, the crowds much like modern champions today. However the real stars of the race were the horses. Their tails held high in tight knots, their elaborate studded harnesses glittering in the sun, the race horses were so popular with the spectators and so famous that their names appeared in mosaics and were inscribed in stone. on walls and trophies, on the rims of lamps and bronze plaques, There were several each day and a betting industry flourished.