Fast, dangerous and bloody: inside the Circus Maximus, the home of Roman chariot racing

Chariot racing was fast, dangerous and bloody. It was exhilarating for the crowds and could make superstars out of racers.

Best visualised in the 1959 Hollywood epic Ben Hur, the sport has been given thrilling new life in the Prime Video series Those About to Die, with the Circus Maximus taking centre stage once again.

When was the Circus Maximus built?

The first iteration of the Circus Maximus appeared before the Roman empire; before the Roman republic even. According to the historian Livy, the inaugural events and wooden seating were instituted by one of the fabled kings, Tarquinius Priscus, in the sixth century BC.

Located in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills, the arena had numerous additions over the years as well as major rebuilds. Julius Caesar gave the Circus Maximus its iconic shape in the first century BC by greatly extending the racing track and seating capacity.

Arcades of shops emerged beneath the stands, which enjoyed booming trades on race days. But when a fire started in those shops in AD 64, during the reign of Nero, and spread to destroy much of the city – the Great Fire of Rome – the Circus Maximus had to be rebuilt again. This time, in stone.

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How big was the Circus Maximus?

At its largest, the Circus Maximus reached a length of 610 metres and 190 metres in width. It had three tiers of seating, with the lowest, nearest the action, reserved for the elite.

It is estimated the Circus Maximus could seat 150,000 spectators, although claims have gone as high as 250,000. If not an exaggeration, this might include those watching from vantage points on the nearby hills.

The racetrack had 12 starting gates (carceres) at one end, and a central walled-off barrier (spina) that was filled with water. The spina featured obelisks brought from Egypt and turning posts (metae) at each end comprised of three large gilded bronze cones.

What were chariot races at the Circus Maximus like?

Chariot races began when their sponsor dropped a white handkerchief. The chariots – pulled, most regularly, by two horses (biga) or four (quadriga) – thundered out of their gates and along the sand track. A race consisted of 13 turns of the spina, totalling seven laps of the Circus Maximus, run counterclockwise.

The completion of each lap was signalled by lifting or lowering elaborate marker, which were in the shape of either eggs or dolphins. A single race took around 8-12 minutes, leaving plenty of time for around 24 races a day during the reign of Caligula.

Chariot races took place throughout the year as part of public games to celebrate religious festivals. Each one would be sponsored by the state or a powerful individual looking to boost their reputation. Although there were arenas all over the Roman domain, the Circus Maximus was the biggest and most prestigious.

Were chariot races at the Circus Maximus dangerous?

Races could be extremely hazardous. With up to a dozen chariots dashing at high speeds while their skilled, courageous or foolhardy charioteers scrambled for position and took hairpin turns, accidents were common.

Chariots were lightweight, which made them fast but highly vulnerable in collisions. They could overturn and throw the charioteers out, putting them at risk of being run over by a competitor. Crashes could be so bad that they became known as naufragia, or ‘shipwrecks’.

Why are chariot racing teams called factions?

Charioteers did not race independently, but as part of a faction. Similar to sports teams today, these were organisations, headed by rich and powerful patrons, with their own horses, charioteers, stables, trainers, grooms, smiths, doctors – and colours.

There were four main factions: red, white, green and blue. The first century AD emperor Domitian added two more colours – purple and gold – but this was just a short-lived experiment.

Each faction entered several chariots in each race, which could be identified by the colour adorning it. Fans in the crowds would often wear their favoured faction’s colour. (They could also bury curse tablets – which wished all kinds of ill things on rival factions – near the track.)

As the factions became more powerful and rich, the race results had significant political repercussions. Patrons used the Circus Maximus to gain influence or take on a rival. Or they could make lots of money: betting was a big part of spending a day at the races.

Were charioteers as famous as gladiators?

The men who actually drove the chariots were mostly slaves or freedmen of low status. Yet if they won enough races, they could become fabulously wealthy (earning more than the top professions in Rome) and buy their freedom.

They were also treated as celebrities by fans, showered with gifts and mobbed in the street. Even the horses could be famous.

Among the most renowned charioteers of the Circus was Scorpus, a slave from Hispania who, in the late first century AD, won 2,048 races in a brief career. He died in a chariot crash aged 26.

Gaius Appuleius Diocles was luckier: he had a 24-year career and retired at 42 having won 1,462 races and earned more than 35 million sesterces. This makes him the wealthiest sportsperson in history.

What other events were held at the Circus Maximus?

The Circus Maximus became a gathering place in Rome for purposes other than sport. Processions that preceded festivals ended there, as did celebrations of a triumph, and the track hosted events even bloodier than chariot racing, like executions, animal hunts and gladiatorial fights.

The Circus Maximus also held an important socio-political role. It was where the emperor could be seen by the people and boost their image by dispensing gifts or food. Many rulers, such as Caligula and Domitian, adored the races.

It was also a place for the people to make their demands or petitions known to the emperor, letting him know their feelings through chanting.

What happened to the Circus Maximus after the construction of the Colosseum?

Rome’s other great arena, the Colosseum, was built during the reigns of Vespasian and his son Titus from AD 70-72. It was smaller than the Circus Maximus – seating 50,000-80,000 people – and primarily used for gladiatorial games, which it was felt needed a more ‘intimate’ setting.

Therefore, the Circus Maximus continued to be used well into the sixth century, after the fall of the western empire. Chariot racing was still enjoyed by the Ostrogoth rulers and the Byzantine empire to the east, where crowds filled their version of the Circus, the Hippodrome of Constantinople.

This would be the site of the infamous Nika Riots of AD 532, which resulted in 30,000 deaths and the irrevocable decline in chariot racing’s popularity.