Page 21 - All About History - Issue 59-17

The gates were mechanised to ensure that they
The spina was adorned with
monuments such as the Obelisk of
Thutmose III. Emperor Theodosius
I moved it to the Hippodrome from
Egypt in 390 CE
would all open at the same time. The four horse
chariots were readied and brought to the gates
and each team usually had two chariots
participating in every race.
ready, set, go
A wealthy sponsor for the chariots, such as a
senator or even the emperor, would drop a white
cloth to signal the beginning of the race. The
charioteers would have to ride to the end of the
U-shaped track, wheel around the spina in the
centre and back again to win. Each race required
seven laps and lasted around 15 minutes.
lunChtime
There was a break midway through the day for
food and drink, with more entertainment brought
out for the spectators in the meantime. It was also
an opportunity for the racers to recuperate and
ready themselves for the afternoon. This was not
just about victory — success in the Hippodrome
could propel racers to stardom.
in it to win it
After lunch, the races would continue with up to
24 performed each day. A moveable scoreboard,
which had seven dolphin- or egg-shaped lap
counters, kept track of the score. Racers would
team up to get rid of the first-place racer, usually
by knocking into their carriage — an extremely
dangerous and deadly move.
want a rematCh?
Unique to Byzantine chariot racing was the honour
of the ‘diversium’, which allowed the winner to
challenge the loser to a rematch with swapped
chariots and horses. It was an opportunity for the
victor to prove to the crowd that they had won
the races based on skill, rather than luck.
ColleCt the prize
The winning chariot racer received their prize
from the emperor, which consisted of a gold seal,
a tunic, a helmet and a silk belt. The racer’s victory
was ultimately the emperor’s and during the prize
ceremony the crowd would shout their allegiance
to him. For the racer, winning gave him the chance
to switch teams and increase his income.
time to party
After the day’s events, the factions celebrated or
commiserated. There was frequent conflict among
the different teams and supporters since chariot
racing promoted a mob-like mentality, not too
dissimilar to football hooliganism seen today.
For this reason the scholar Procopius declared © Getty Images
the racing factions “a sickness of the soul.”
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