The Romans Were Mad about Chariot Racing

As popular as gladiatorial games were, they were nothing compared to the popularity of chariot racing at the circus. Rome may have seated 60,000 or so at the Coliseum, but the Circus Maximus could accommodate 250,000 spectators.

The circus is the Latin word for circle, whereas, in Greece, these venues were called hippodromes, literally meaning a “horse course”. Charioteers often began their training as children, so many drivers were teenagers. There would be, on average, twenty-four races a day, each consisting of seven laps (later on there were more races, but they each ran for five laps). There were races for chariots pulled by four horses and others for smaller chariots pulled by two.

It was not only fast and exciting but brutal; the word for chariot “crashes” in Latin is exactly the same word used to describe shipwrecks. Because Roman drivers wrapped the reins around their waist, they carried knives as a means of freeing themselves in the event of a crash. Many charioteers were dragged around the circus until they were killed or freed themselves. In addition to their helmets, they also wore colors so people could support a White, Green, Red or Blue team.  Followers were often so passionate in their support that riots broke out between the color-coded fans (is this beginning to sound familiar?).

Charioteers frequently became household names, and there was none greater than the second-century AD charioteer, Gaius Appuleius Diocles, who won 1,462 out of his 4,257 races over a two-decade career. He holds the title for the best-rewarded sportsperson ever.  During his career, Diocles won nearly 36 million sesterces, about £10 billion in today’s money!


Diocles came from a poor family in the province of Lusitania (now Portugal and southwest Spain), and he was thought to be illiterate throughout his career. He took a huge gamble by changing colors (teams), at various times racing for the Whites, the Greens, and the Reds. Overall he had the most success with the Reds and remained with them until his retirement at the age of forty-two.

Chariot races were cheaper to run and better attended than gladiatorial games, possibly because there were free seats for the poor.  Unlike the games, chariot racing wasn’t linked to pagan practices. This enabled them to survive the rise of Christianity and to withstand the decline of the empire as well.

In late antiquity Byzantium, chariot races were as popular as ever, but by this time, the teams had begun to spread their influence beyond racing.  In a population with no other means of political expression, team associations became the focus for social and political issues. Supporters were a cross between political parties and street gangs.  Everything came to a head in 532 AD with the Nika riots.  These were the most violent riots Constantinople had ever seen and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of nearly half of the city.  The subsequent crackdown led to a gradual decline in interest in the sport.