The last official chariot race at the Circus Maximus was in 549 CE and was held by Totila, the Ostrogoth king, after the fall of Rome the cost of continuing the races was too high although the continued in Constantinople. Chariot races took place in the Circus Maximus, a huge, oval shaped stadium that could seat nearly 200,000 spectators. It represented Rome just as the gladiator games it was truly a spectacle in majesty, supremacy and jeopardy. The teams attracted fierce passions from their supporters.
Chariot races in rome drivers#
Less violent than the gladiators, chariot racing was still an extreme, dangerous sport, in which drivers could die. The drivers raced their horse-drawn chariots at top speed round the arena. In this manner, what were chariot races in ancient Rome?Ĭhariot races were held in the town's circus, a large, oval-shaped arena with a stone barrier down the middle, called a spina. When was the first chariot race? It is believed by historians that chariots were first made around 2000 B.C.E in a grassy area of Central Asia, running from Hungary to China by what are known as the people of the steppes. Such famous venues as the Colosseum and Circus Maximus of Rome would host events involving magnificent processions, exotic animals, gladiator battles, chariot races, executions and even mock naval battles. Herein, were chariot races held in the Colosseum? The fervor of the races led to tensions that occasionally simmered over into full-scale revolt. It was the earliest circus in the city of Rome. Chariot racing stoked fanaticism in the Roman world, and fans flocked to see their favorites compete. 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.
In ancient Rome, chariot races commonly took place in a circus. What is a Roman chariot race Chariot racing, in the ancient world, a popular form of contest between small, two-wheeled vehicles drawn by two-, four-, or six-horse teams.