Race courses were popular with the Romans from very early

times. A broad stretch of level ground was all that was required.
The word circus, which means “ring”, eventually came to mean
“race courses.” Although other shows were sometimes presented
in a circus, unless otherwise stated, a circus was a place a
Roman went to see chariot races.

Possibly the oldest spectacular

sport in Rome, chariot racing dates
back at least to the sixth century
BCE. Originally chariot races
(ludi circenses) were
held only on religious
festivals like the Consualia,
but later they would also be held
on non-feast days when sponsored
by magistrates and other Roman
dignitaries.
Chariot racing was the most popular sport
in Rome, appealing to all social classes
from slaves to the Emperor
himself. This
appeal was no doubt enhanced by the
private betting that went on, although
there was no public
gambling on the races.

The oldest and largest circus in Rome was the Circus Maximus.
Its seating capacity was approximately 150,000 spectators. It had
the same arrangement as all Roman circuses. A large long piece
of ground was surrounded on three sides by rows of seats.
In the middle of the arena was a
long concrete row called the spina
(or backbone). This ran for about
two thirds the length of the
arena.

This spina was beautifully decorated

with works of art such as water
channels, statues of deities, marble
altars and shrines, and lap counters.

At the ends of the spina were the

metae, (or goalposts), which marked
the end of the course. One trip around
the spina comprised a lap. The race,
or missus, was
On the ends of the spina stood two pedestals. At both ends of
the central barrier are high semicircular platforms topped with
three tall conical pillars; drivers try to round these turns as tightly
as possible without hitting them. One had seven dolphins on top
of it; the other had seven marble eggs. Each time a lap was
finished, one dolphin and one egg were taken down so the
viewers would know how many laps were still to be run.
Rows of stone benches three and four tiers high extend around
the track; the corridors beneath the stands, punctuated with
staircases leading to various blocks of seats, are crowded with
shops and filled with milling people--restless spectators, vendors
hawking food or cushions for the hard benches, gamblers taking
bets, prostitutes looking for customers. The stands are divided
according to social class.
 On each side of the end
of the track closest to the
Tiber stand huge
archways called carceres
used for processions;
between these stretch a
line of 12 arched
openings containing wide
stalls.
Each stall was square and large
enough to contain the chariot and
the team of horses. Sometimes there
were as many as ten horses
per team. In the early
days there were four
chariots. As time went on, this
number increased to eight.
 In the early days of the Roman circus,
anyone who wished to race could do so, but
at the Circus Maximus racing companies
drove the chariots. The four Roman racing
companies or stables (factiones) were known
by the racing colors worn by their charioteers
(Red, White, Blue, and Green), and fans
became fervently attached to one of the factions.
There was great rivalry between
the various teams. Each spent huge
sums of money importing the best
horses from all over the
world. Each attempted to
be the best, even if it
had to drug their opponents’
horses, bribe other drivers or even
poison or kill rival drivers.
 Racing was dangerous. A driver would
attempt to upset another driver or do
anything else he could to win. The
chariot was protected in front but was
open behind. To protect themselves,
drivers wore shoulder pads, leather
straps around their thighs and heavy
protectors on their legs.

A great driver could become very wealthy.

He would
receive large
wages and rich
gifts from people who bet on
him. Other racing
companies would offer him
huge sums of money to race for
them. A hero to all who attended the
circus, he was invited to parties and