that it was possible to make as much as 15 bags of gold for winning a single race.
Successful racers who survived could grow enormously wealthy-another Roman poet, Martial, grumbled in the first century A.D. Ancient inscriptions frequently record the deaths of famous racers in their early 20s, crushed against the stone spina that ran down the center of the race track or dragged behind their horses after their chariots were smashed.Ĭharioteers, who generally started out as slaves, took these risks because there were fortunes to be won. As many as 12 four-horse teams raced one another seven times around the confines of the greatest arenas-the Circus Maximus in Rome was 2,000 feet long, but its track was not more than 150 feet wide-and rules were few, collisions all but inevitable, and hideous injuries to the charioteers extremely commonplace. Or to put it another way, basic sustenance and bloodshed, because the most popular entertainments offered by the circuses of Rome were the gladiators and chariot racing, the latter often as deadly as the former. “That’s all the common people want.” Food and entertainment. “Bread and circuses,” the poet Juvenal wrote scathingly. From a poster advertising the 1925 film version of Ben-Hur. This arena is so important to see because it really shows the progression of Roman architecture throughout the years and how deeply they loved and enjoyed entertainment.A Roman chariot race, showing men from two of the four color-themed demes, or associations, that produced the Blues and the Greens. The last race held there was in 549 AD, almost a millennium after the first races were held there. The arena was now more than 600m long and 150m wide. The new arena was a stone construction, three stories high. After another fire, the Circus Maximus was built once more by Trajan in 103 AD. A second fire in 64 AD started in wooden shops at the bottom near the track that started the fire that burnt down a lot of Rome during Emperor Nero. But in 31 BC the first of three fires destroyed the wood structure.
The Circus Maximus was so big that it was 621 m (2,037 ft) in length, 118 m (387 ft) in breadth. The most popular events held in the Circus Maximus were gladiator combats, and more commonly chariot races. That is one quarter of Rome’s population. At one point it could even seat 250,000 people. The Circus Maximus was the largest stadium in ancient Rome. In Ancient Rome there were many important things to them, and one of the most important was entertainment. It is incredible to think that in ancient times, gladiators and athletes were competing on this track. Visiting the Circus Maximus is an absolute must when in Rome, especially if you are interested in athletics. This just shows all of the times that the great track has been through.
IN WHAT ARENA WERE CHARIOT RACES HELD FULL
The last race at the Circus Maximus was held almost 1 full millenium after the first race. Many events were held at the Circus Maximus, including chariot races, horse races, and gladiator combat. It has been rebuilt many times, starting off as a wooden structure, and then being transformed into stone. This circus was Rome’s largest circus, or racetrack. Now, what remains is just a large grassland, as well as the outlines of the great structure. In Rome’s case, this was the Circus Maximus. Every city must have some place of leisure or entertainment.
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