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— CH. 1 · ORIGINS AND EARLY HISTORY —

Chariot racing

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
6 sections

  • Images on pottery from thirteenth century BC Mycenaean Greece show chariots racing. The first literary account appears in Homer's Iliad during the funeral games for Patroclus. Participants included Diomedes of Argos, King Menelaus of Sparta, and Antilochus. The race covered one lap around a tree stump. Diomedes won the event and received a slave woman plus a cauldron as his prize. Legend states that Pelops defeated King Oenomaus to win Hippodamia's hand. This victory supposedly founded the Olympic Games themselves. Pindar later mentioned this legend in his writings. These early events combined practices from the eighth century with legendary past accounts.

  • The Olympic Games traditionally began in 776 BC under the Eleans. Chariot races were added to the program by 680 BC according to Pausanias. A four-horse chariot called the tethrippon ran twelve laps around the track. Starting gates known as hysplex used tight cords to ensure fair starts. A bronze eagle raised by Zeus signaled the beginning while dolphins marked each completed lap. The hippodrome stretched approximately 780 meters long and 320 meters wide. Spectators watched from natural embankments on the north side. An altar named Taraxippus terrified horses near the turning post causing many crashes. Drivers wore sleeved garments called xystis fastened high at the waist. Alcibiades owned seven chariots in 416 BC winning first second and fourth places without driving them himself.

  • Rome's main center was the Circus Maximus built between Palatine Hill and Aventine Hill. Julius Caesar rebuilt it around 50 BC to a length of about 480 meters. Seating capacity reached roughly 150,000 spectators before later expansions. Starting gates called carceres opened simultaneously when an editor dropped a white cloth. A central barrier known as the spina divided the track and held lap counters shaped like eggs or dolphins. Three gilded columns called meta marked the turning points at either end. Races typically lasted seven laps rather than the twelve common in Greece. Emperors like Caligula sponsored ten to twelve races daily while Nero pushed twenty-four. Commodus once held thirty races within two hours of a single afternoon. Domitian managed one hundred races in just one day by reducing lap counts drastically.

  • Charioteers occupied a peculiar position in Roman society despite earning vast wealth. Most started their careers as slaves with no reputation to lose. Gaius Appuleius Diocles won 1,462 out of 4,257 races during his career. His lifetime winnings reportedly totaled over 35 million sesterces excluding driver fees. Juvenal noted that charioteer Lacerta earned a hundred times more than a lawyer's fee. Scorpus won over 2,000 races before dying in a collision at age 27. Despite this success drivers remained infames denying them full citizenship privileges. Slave-charioteers could not lawfully own property yet masters paid them regardless. Some freedmen earned enough to buy freedom outright while others died young. A supporter threw himself on the funeral pyre of his favorite charioteer named Florus who was described as an infant on his tomb inscription.

  • Most Roman and Byzantine drivers belonged to four factions: Red White Blue and Green. The Blues and Greens gradually became the most prestigious groups supported by emperors. Members called demes were a minority among racing enthusiasts but held significant power. In 498 crowds launched stones at Emperor Anastasius from the hippodrome seating. A near-revolutionary riot occurred in 512 where the emperor feared for his life. The Nika riots of 532 AD saw thousands killed by military retribution after factions united against imperial rule. Justinian I enacted reforms in 541 ensuring only emperors could subsidize races. By the tenth century race days declined sharply to just eight events. The factions continued activity until the court moved to Blachernae during the twelfth century. Urban disturbances focused on the Hippodrome which served as the largest space for mass meetings.

  • Blue versus Green clashes erupted into armed gang warfare throughout the fifth century. The Nika riots culminated in an indiscriminate slaughter of Byzantine citizenry by the military. Procopius viewed the affair as a failure of imperial troops to govern their people effectively. Rising costs and a failing economy caused gradual decline of chariot racing culture thereafter. Constantine V deployed rowdies from both factions in anti-monastic campaigns during the eighth century. The number of races per day dropped significantly over subsequent centuries. Public entertainments in Italy ended in all but a few towns by the fourth century. The last known race at the Circus Maximus was staged in 549 by Ostrogothic king Totila. Christian apologists had long warned of spiritual damage from traditional public spectacles. The Church eventually abandoned gladiatorial contests while chariot racing remained popular longer.

Common questions

When did chariot racing first appear in ancient Greek history?

Images on pottery from thirteenth century BC Mycenaean Greece show chariots racing. The first literary account appears in Homer's Iliad during the funeral games for Patroclus.

What were the rules and dimensions of Olympic chariot races in 680 BC?

Chariot races were added to the program by 680 BC according to Pausanias. A four-horse chariot called the tethrippon ran twelve laps around a track that stretched approximately 780 meters long and 320 meters wide.

How many spectators could the Circus Maximus hold after Julius Caesar rebuilt it in 50 BC?

Julius Caesar rebuilt it around 50 BC to a length of about 480 meters. Seating capacity reached roughly 150,000 spectators before later expansions.

Who was the most successful Roman charioteer Gaius Appuleius Diocles and what were his earnings?

Gaius Appuleius Diocles won 1,462 out of 4,257 races during his career. His lifetime winnings reportedly totaled over 35 million sesterces excluding driver fees.

When did the Nika riots occur and how many people died during the military retribution?

The Nika riots of 532 AD saw thousands killed by military retribution after factions united against imperial rule. Procopius viewed the affair as a failure of imperial troops to govern their people effectively.

What year marked the last known race at the Circus Maximus under Ostrogothic king Totila?

The last known race at the Circus Maximus was staged in 549 by Ostrogothic king Totila. Public entertainments in Italy ended in all but a few towns by the fourth century.

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All sources

20 references cited across the entry

  1. 1bookA Companion to Greek LiteratureMartin Hose et al. — John Wiley & Sons — 2015
  2. 2bookOlympian OdesPindar
  3. 3bookDescription of GreecePausanias
  4. 4journalThe Starting-Gate for Chariots at OlympiaH. A. Harris — 1968
  5. 5inlinePindar. Isthmian Odes, 1.1.
  6. 6inlinePindar. Pythian, 5.25–5.53
  7. 7harvnbCameron (1973) p. 250Cameron — 1973
  8. 8harvnbHumphrey (1986) p. 126Humphrey — 1986
  9. 9bookLate Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical WorldGlen Warren Bowersock et al. — Harvard University Press — 1999
  10. 10inlineTertullian. De Spectaculis, 9.
  11. 11harvnbBell (2014) p. 492–504Bell — 2014
  12. 12harvnbBell (2014) p. 495–496Bell — 2014
  13. 13journalDangerous Reputations: Charioteers and Magic in Fourth-Century RomeParshia Lee-Stecum — 2006
  14. 14inlineThomov, Thomas, Bulgaria Mediaevalis, 10/2019.
  15. 15journalSports of the Byzantine EmpireBarbara Schrodt — Winter 1981
  16. 16bookConstantine Porphyrogennetos: The Book of CeremoniesBrill — 2017
  17. 17harvnbHumphrey (1986) p. 539Humphrey — 1986
  18. 18bookThe Hippodrome of ConstantinopleEngin Akyürek — Cambridge University Press — 2021
  19. 19bookSocial Conflict in the Age of Justinian: Its Nature, Management, and MediationPeter N. Bell — Oxford University Press — 2013
  20. 20journalThe Monument of Porphyrius in the Hippodrome at ConstantinopleA. A. Vasiliev — 1948