Chariot racing

In most cases, the owner and the driver of the Greek racing chariot were different persons. In 416 BC, the Athenian general Alcibiades had seven chariots in the race, and came in first, second, and fourth; obviously, he could not have been racing all seven chariots himself.[16] Philip II of Macedon also won an Olympic chariot race in an attempt to prove he was not a barbarian, although if he had driven the chariot himself he would likely have been considered even lower than a barbarian. The poet Pindar did praise the courage of Herodotes of Thebes, however, for driving his own chariot.[17] Women could win races through ownership. Despite an apparent legal or at least customary ban on their participation as competitors or even spectators[4] some entered and won races. The Spartan Cynisca, daughter of Archidamus II, entered and won the chariot race, twice.[18] Horse chariot teams were costly to own and train; the case of Alcibiades shows that for the wealthy, chariot racing was an alternative route to public exposure and fame.[19]

Most charioteers were slaves or hired professionals.[5] The drivers and their horses needed strength, skill, courage, endurance and prolonged, intensive training. Like jockeys, charioteers were ideally slight of build, and therefore often young, but unlike jockeys, they were also tall. The names of very few charioteers are known from the Greek racing circuits,[20] Victory songs, epigrams and other monuments routinely omit the names of winning drivers.[21]

The chariots themselves resembled war chariots, essentially wooden two-wheeled carts with an open back,[22] though by this time chariots were no longer used in battle. Charioteers stood throughout the race. They traditionally wore only a sleeved garment called a xystis, which would have offered at least some protection from crashes and dust. It fell to the ankles and was fastened high at the waist with a plain belt. Two straps that crossed high at the upper back prevented the xystis from "ballooning" during the race[23] The body of the chariot rested on the axle, so the ride was bumpy. The most exciting parts of the chariot race, at least for the spectators, were the turns at the ends of the hippodrome. These turns were dangerous and sometimes deadly. In a full-sized racing stadium, the chariots could reach high speeds along the straits, then overturn or be crushed along with their horses and driver by the following chariots as they wheeled around the post. Driving into an opponent to make him crash was technically illegal, but most crashes were accidental and often unavoidable. In Homer's account of Patroclus' funeral games, Antilochus inflicts such a crash on Menelaus.[24]

With the rise of Greek cities in the classical era, other great festivals emerged in Asia Minor, Magna Graecia, and the mainland, providing the opportunity for cities to gain honour and renown, and for their athletes to gain fame and riches. Apart from the Olympics, the most notable were the Isthmian Games in Corinth, the Nemean Games, the Pythian Games in Delphi, and the Panathenaic Games in Athens, where the winner of the four-horse chariot race was given 140 amphorae of olive oil, a highly valued commodity in ancient times. Prizes at other competitions included corn in Eleusis, bronze shields in Argos, and silver vessels in Marathon. Winning athletes, no matter their social status, were greatly honoured by their own commuities. [lower-alpha 6] Chariot racing at the Panathenaic Games included a two-man event, the apobatai, in which one of the team was armoured, and periodically leapt off the moving chariot, ran alongside it, then leapt back on again.[25] The second charioteer took the reins when the apobates jumped out; in the catalogues of winners, the names of both these athletes are given.[26] Images of this contest show warriors, armed with helmets and shields, perched on the back of their racing chariots.[27] Some scholars believe that the event preserved traditions of Homeric warfare.[28]

The main centre of chariot racing in Rome was the Circus Maximus which developed on the natural slopes and valley of the Vallis Murcia between the Palatine Hill and Aventine Hill.[38] It had a vast seating capacity; Boatwright estimates this as 150,000 before its rebuilding under Julius Caesar, and 250,000 under Trajan.[31][lower-alpha 8] According to Humphrey, the higher seating estimate is traditional but excessive, and even at its greatest capacity, the circus probably accommodated no more than about 150,000.[39] It was Rome's earliest and greatest circus. Its basic form and footprint were thought more or less co-eval with the city's foundation, or with Rome's earliest Etruscan kings.[38][31] Julius Caesar rebuilt it around 50 BC to a length of about 650 metres (2,130 ft) and width of 125 metres (410 ft).[40] It had a semi-circular end, and a semi-open, slightly angled end where the chariots lined up across the track to begin the race, each enclosed within a cell known as a carcere ("prison") behind a spring-loaded gate. These were functionally equivalent to the Greek hysplex but were further staggered to accommodate a median barrier, known originally as a euripus (canal) but much later as the spina (spine).[41][42] When the chariots were ready the host (editor) of the race, usually a high-status magistrate, dropped a white cloth;[43] all the gates sprang open at the same time, allowing a fair start for all participants. Races were run counter-clockwise; starting positions were allocated by lottery.[44]

Chariot race of Cupids; ancient Roman sarcophagus in the Museo Archeologico (Naples). Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection

The spina also carried lap-counters, in the form of eggs or dolphins; the eggs were suggestive of Castor and Pollux, the dioscuri, born to Queen Leda and thought to be patrons of Rome's chariot races. Dolphins were thought to be the swiftest of all creatures; they also symbolised Neptune, god of the sea, earthquakes and horses.[45][42][46] The spina seems to have had water-feature elements, blended with decorative and architectural features. It eventually became very elaborate, with temples, statues and obelisks and other forms of art, but the addition of these multiple adornments obstructed the view of spectators on the trackside's lower seats, which were close to the action, and happened to be reserved for senators.[47] At each end of the spina was a meta, or turning point, consisting of large gilded columns.[48] [46]

A charioteer of the White team; part of a mosaic of the third century AD, showing four leading charioteers from the different colors, all in their distinctive gear

Seats in the Circus were free for the poor, and either free or subsidised for the masses, whose lack of involvement in late Republican and Imperial politics was compensated, as far as Juvenal was concerned, by an endless supply of entertainments, or panem et circenses ("bread and circuses"). The wealthy could pay for shaded seats where they had a better view. The circus was one of few places where the elite, and in particular the emperor, could be seen by a populace assembled in vast numbers, and where the latter could manifest their affection or anger. The sponsor or editor of the races shared a viewing box and its couches with images of the gods. In the Imperial era, the box itself took its name (pulvinar) from these couches. The pulvinar in the Circus Maximus was directly connected to the imperial palace, on the Palatine Hill.[49]

Once the race was started, the chariot drivers jockeyed for position, cutting across the paths of their competitors, moving as close to the spina as they could, and whenever possible forcing their opponents to find another, much longer route forwards. Roman drivers wrapped the reins round their waist, and steered using their body weight; with the reins looped around their torsos, they could lean from one side to the other to direct the horse's movement, keeping the hands free "for the whip and such".[50][51]. A driver who became entangled in a crash risked being trampled or dragged along the track by his own horses; charioteers carried a curved knife (falx) to cut their reins, and wore helmets and other protective gear [50][46] Spectacular crashes in which the chariot was destroyed and the charioteer and horses incapacitated were called naufragia, (a "shipwreck").[52]

A modern recreation of chariot racing, in the amphitheatre of Puy du Fou theme park

In the 4th century AD, 24 races were held every day on 66 days each year.[53] In Rome, a race lasted for 7 laps (and later 5 laps, so that there could be even more races per day) rather than the 12 laps of the Greek race.[42] The best charioteers could earn a great deal of prize money, in addition to their contracted subsistence pay.[54] The prize money for up to fourth place was advertised beforehand, with first place winning up to 60,000 sesterces. Detailed records were kept of drivers' performances, and the names, breeds and pedigrees of famous horses. Betting on results was widespread, among all classes.[55][56][57] Most races involved four-horse chariots (quadrigae), or less often, two-horse chariots (bigae). Just to display the skill of the driver and his horses, up to ten horses could be yoked to a single chariot. The quadriga races were the most important and frequent.[42]

Most Roman chariot drivers belonged to one or another of four factions, social and business organisations that raised money to sponsor the races. The factions offered security to members in return for their loyalty and contribution, and were headed by a patron or patrons. Every circus seems to have independently followed the same model of organisation, including the four-colour naming system; Red, White, Blue and Green. Senior managers (domini factionum) were usually of equestrian class. Investors were often wealthy, but of low social status; driving a racing chariot was thought a very low class occupation, beneath the dignity of any citizen, but making money from it was truly disgraceful, so investors of high social status usually resorted to negotiations discretely, through agents, rather than risk loss of reputation, status and privilege through infamia. No contemporary source describes these factions as official, but unlike many unofficial organisations in Rome, they were evidently tolerated as useful and effective rather than feared as secretive and potentially subversive.[42][lower-alpha 9]

Charioteers in the red tunics of their faction from the Charioteer Papyrus (c. 500)

Tertullian claims that there were originally just two factions, White and Red, sacred to winter and summer respectively.[58] By his time, there were four factions; the Reds were dedicated to Mars, the Whites to the Zephyrs, the Greens to Mother Earth or spring, and the Blues to the sky and sea or autumn.[58][59] Each faction could enter a team of up to three chariots per race. Members of the same team often collaborated against the other teams, for example to force them to crash into the spina (a legal and encouraged tactic).[42] The driver's clothing was color-coded in accordance with his faction, which would help distant spectators to keep track of the race's progress.[60]

The emperor Domitian created two new factions, the Purples and Golds, but they vanished from the record very soon after his death.[42] The Blues and the Greens gradually became the most prestigious factions, supported by emperors and the populace alike. Blue versus Green clashes sometimes broke out during the races. The Reds and Whites are seldom mentioned in the literature, but their continued activity is documented in inscriptions and in curse tablets.[61]

Most Roman charioteers would have started their careers as slaves, or at best as low-status freedmen and citizen-commoners. In Roman racing, unlike Greek racing, the winning charioteers were recognised as winners, even if they were slaves. Most races and wins were team efforts, results of co-operation between charioteers of the same faction, but victories won in single races were the most highly esteemed. Races involving a single chariot per faction were allowed.[62] Winners received a wreath of laurel leaves, and probably some money; if slave charioteers won enough races they could buy their freedom.[21] Drivers could become celebrities throughout the Empire simply by surviving, as the life expectancy of a charioteer was not very high. One such celebrity driver was Scorpus, who won over 2000 races[3] before being killed in a collision at the meta when he was about 27 years old. The most famous of all was Gaius Appuleius Diocles who won 1,462 out of 4,257 races for various teams. When Diocles retired at the age of 42 after a 24-year career his winnings reportedly totalled 35,863,120 sesterces. His personal share of this is unknown.

A winner of a Roman chariot race, from the Red team

Charioteers occupied a peculiar position in Roman society. If they were originally citizens, their chosen career made them infames, which automatically disqualified them from many of the privileges, protections and dignities of full citizenship, and placed them in a socially despised category that included undertakers, pimps, butchers, executioners, heralds and various paid entertainers such as gladiators and actors. The best charioteers were also wildly popular. They followed a ferociously competitive, charismatic profession, routinely risked violent death, and aroused a compulsive, even morbid enthusiasm among their followers. A supporter of the Red faction is said to have thrown himself on the funeral pyre of his favourite charioteer. More usually, some charioteers and supporters tried to enlist supernatural help by covertly burying curse tablets at or near the track, appealing to spirits and deities of the underworld for the success of their favourites or disaster for their opponents; a common practise among Romans of all classes though like all magic, strictly illegal, and punishable by death.[63][46][64]

Some of the most talented and successful charioteers were suspected of winning through the illicit agency of dark forces. Ammianus Marcellinus, writing during Valentinian's reign (AD 364-375) describes various cases of chariot drivers prosecuted for witchcraft or the procurement of spells. One charioteer was beheaded for having his young son trained in witchcraft to help him win his races; and another burnt at the stake for practising witchcraft.[65] Justinian I's reformed legal code specifically prohibits drivers from placing curses on their opponents, and invites their co-operation in bringing offenders before the authorities, rather than acting like assassins or vigilantes. This not only reiterates a very longstanding prohibition of witchcraft but confirms a reputation that charioteers had for living at the very edge of the law, for violent thefts and bullying, and an easy-going criminality that could extend to the murder of opponents and enemies, disguised as rough but rightful justice.[66]

Mosaic from Lyon illustrating a chariot race with the four factions: Blue, Green, Red and White

The horses, too, could become celebrities; they were purpose-bred and were trained relatively late, from 5 years old. The Romans favoured particular native breeds from Hispania and north Africa. One of Diocles' horses, named Cotynus, raced with him in various teams 445 times, alongside Abigeius, a treasured "trace" horse. A chariot's "trace" horses partly pulled the chariot and partly guided it, as flankers to the central pair, who were yoked to the chariot and provided both speed and power. A left-side trace horse's steady performance could mean the difference between victory and disaster; mares were thought the steadiest. [67] Left-side trace horses were the closest to the spina, and are most likely to be named in the race record. Another key performer in a standard quadriga race was the right-hand yoke-horse. Celebrity horses associated with Diocles' extraordinary record of 445 races and more than 100 wins in a year include Pompeianus, Lucidus and Galata. [68]

The pagan ceremonies embedded in traditional public spectacles had been a matter of concern for Christian apologists since at least Tertullian's time. It was thought that such ceremonies, even if merely observed by spectators, could only do spiritual harm. [76] The Olympic Games were eventually ended by Emperor Theodosius I (r. 379–395) in 393, perhaps in a move to suppress paganism and promote Christianity, but chariot racing remained popular. The Church did not, or perhaps could not prevent it, although prominent Christian writers attacked it. Emperor Leo (r. 457–474) banned public entertainments on Sundays in 469, and the venationes were banned completely by Emperor Anastasius (r. 491–518) in 498. Cameron suggests that the eventual withdrawal of imperial support for gladiatorial games owed more to the difficulty and expense of procuring gladiators, than to the moral influence of Christianity.[77] Exemplary mutilations and public executions, sometimes involving wild beasts, continued for particular crimes, and for those condemned as enemies of the State.[78]

The Triumphal Quadriga is a set of Roman or Greek bronze statues of four horses, originally part of a monument depicting a quadriga. They date from late Classical Antiquity and were long displayed at the Hippodrome of Constantinople. In 1204 AD, Doge Enrico Dandolo sent them to Venice as part of the loot sacked from Constantinople in the Fourth Crusade.

In the eastern regions of the empire, it took time for factions to develop or assume the importance they later had in life and politics, in cities throughout the Byzantine and Roman Empires. In Alexandria, for example, the extreme partisanship displayed by circus crowds was reserved for individual charioteers, not factions, presuming there were any.[79] In Byzantium, semi-permanent alliances of Blues (Vénetoi) and Greens (Prásinoi) overshadowed the Whites (Leukoí) and Reds (Roúsioi).[lower-alpha 10] As in Rome, the racing factions and their supporters were overwhelmingly composed of commoners, but Cameron (1976) sees no justification for the description of any racing faction, racing sponsor or factional ideology as "populist", nor the apparent conflicts between factions and authorities as "class conflict". The urban mass disturbances that characterise much of Byzantine's early history were not associated with racing factions until the 5th century, when the government appointed managers of both the Circus races and the Theatres; the latter were responsible for production and performance of the chants and lavish ceremonies that accompanied Imperial court rituals, many of which involved the Hippodrome. The theatre claques already had a reputation for well-organised violence, and as they were now identified with the racing factions, they were thought to typify the worst, most uncontrolable elements among the Blues and Greens.[80]

The background to this reform of management was probably financial. Outside of the racing season, self-funding factions were preoccupied with their own survival; they were only paid for what they delivered to the race editor. Regular state subsidy of factions made state employees of them. Emperors who personally subsidised factions made clients of them, with the emperor as their patron. Any of these conditions may have obtained at various times and places and under various emperors. [81] Running the chariot races at public expense, through taxation, might even have been a cost-cutting measure, which opened up a very necessary, ready-made, experienced but underfunded private organisation to receive imperial patronage and government funding.[82] The Emperor could take credit for providing the games, and officially identify with his subjects. He belonged to one of the four factions and supported the interests of either the Blues or the Greens, but apparently subsidised all.[75][83]

Adopting the colour of a favourite charioteer demonstrated a connection to that particular racer, faction or crowd.[84] Many young men adopted extravagant clothing and hairstyles, such as billowing sleeves, "Hunnic" hair-styles, and "Persian" facial hair, to match their heroes.[85][86] There is evidence that these young men were the faction members most prone to violence and extreme rivalry.[87] Some scholars argue that factional rivalry and violence arose from opposing religious or political views. Others perceive this as group loyalty, familiar to many modern fans of team sports.[88][89] Although fans who went to the hippodrome stil cheered on their favorite charioteers, their loyalty appears to have been to the colour for which the charioteer drove, more than for the individual driver. Charioteers could change their factional allegiance during their careers, but the fans did not necessarily follow them.[90] Blue–Green rivalry often erupted into gang warfare. Street violence had been on the rise during the reign of Justin I (r. 518–527), who took measures to restore order when the gangs murdered a citizen in the Hagia Sophia.[91] The disorder culminated in the Nika riots of 532 AD during the reign of Justinian, when the two main factions united and attempted unsuccessfully to overthrow the emperor.[92] Thousands were killed by the Byzantine military in retribution.

From the mid-fifth century the appointing of an emperor required that he should be acclaimed by "the people"; this is taken to mean the commoners, who were represented by the factions.[93] It has been proposed, and disputed, that each faction was associated with particular theological perspectives and allegiances; the Greens with Monophysitism and the Blues with Orthodoxy. The factions certainly operated in an environment fraught with religious controversy.[91][94] According to some scholars, the Blue–Green rivalry contributed to the conditions that underlay the rise of Islam, while factional enmities were exploited by the Sassanid Empire in its conflicts with the Byzantines.[lower-alpha 11]

Chariot racing declined in the course of the seventh century, with the losses the Empire suffered at the hands of the Arabs and the decline of the population and economy.[95] The Blues and Greens, apparently deprived of any real political power, were given the ceremonial role of making announcements on behalf of the emperor. After the Nika riots, the factions had become less violent as their importance in imperial ceremony increased.[96] The iconoclast emperor Constantine V (r. 741–775) courted the factions in his anti-monastic campaigns. In return, they aided the emperor by organising themselves into mobs, to commit murders on behalf of the emperor, and in staging theatrical shows in which monks and nuns were exposed to ridicule, abuse and forced marriages. [97] The two factions continued their activity until the imperial court was moved to Blachernae during the 12th century.[98]

The Hippodrome in Constantinople remained in use for races, games, and public ceremonies up to the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. In the 12th century, Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180) staged Western-style jousting matches in the Hippodrome. During the sack of 1204, the Crusaders looted the city and, among other things, removed the copper quadriga that stood above the carceres; it is now displayed at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice.[99] Thereafter, the Hippodrome was neglected, although still occasionally used for spectacles. A print of the Hippodrome from the fifteenth century shows a derelict site, a few walls and the spina still standing, but stripped bare of all but the obelisks and the Serpent Column. [3]