the roman chariot races took place at the colosseum.
the roman chariot races took place at the colosseum.
where did the roman chariot races take place?
the colosseum
in ancient rome, chariot races commonly took place in a circus. the main centre of chariot racing was the circus maximus in the valley between palatine hill and aventine hill, which could seat 250,000 people. it was the earliest circus in the city of rome. the circus supposedly dated to the city's earliest times, but julius caesar rebuilt it around 50 bc to a length and width of about and , respectively. one end of the track was more open than the other, as this was where the chariots lined up to begin the race. the romans used a series of gates known as "carceres", equivalent to the greek "hysplex". these were staggered like the "hysplex", but in a slightly different manner since the center of roman racing tracks also included medians (the "spinae"). the "carceres" took up the angled end of the track, where—before a race—the chariots were loaded behind spring-loaded gates. typically, when the chariots were ready the emperor (or whoever was hosting the races, if outside of rome) dropped a cloth known as a "mappa", signalling the beginning of the race. the gates would spring open at the same time, allowing a fair start for all participants.
chariot racing
the romans probably borrowed chariot racing from the etruscans as well as the racing tracks, who themselves borrowed it from the greeks, but the romans were also influenced directly by the greeks. according to roman legend, chariot racing was used by romulus just after he founded rome in 753 bc as a way of distracting the sabine men. romulus sent out invitations to the neighbouring towns to celebrate the festival of the consualia, which included both horse races and chariot races. whilst the sabines were enjoying the spectacle, romulus and his men seized and carried off the sabine women, who became wives of the romans. chariot races were a part of several roman religious festivals, and on these occasions were preceded by a parade "(pompa circensis)" that featured the charioteers, music, costumed dancers, and images of the gods. while the entertainment value of chariot races tended to overshadow any sacred purpose, in late antiquity the church fathers still saw them as a traditional "pagan" practice, and advised christians not to participate.
chariot racing