Chariot Racing facts
While investigating facts about Chariot Racing Rome and Chariot Racing Modern, I found out little known, but curios details like:
In 67 AD, the Roman Emperor Nero participated in the Olympics, bribing the organizers to postpone the games for a year. Nero won every contest, even one which he left the race after being thrown off his chariot. He was removed from the list of winners after his death.
how did chariot racing start?
The biggest sports riot in history occurred in the Byzantine Empire in 532 AD, between fans of opposing chariot racing teams. 30,000 people died.
What was used for chariot racing in ancient rome?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what is chariot racing in ancient rome. Here are 36 of the best facts about Chariot Racing In Ancient Rome and Chariot Racing In Ancient Greece I managed to collect.
what is chariot racing?
-
In 532 AD 30,000 rioters were killed and half of Constantinople was destroyed in the Nika Riots, over a conflict with chariot racing.
-
The most lethal sport riot in history happened in Constantinople AD 532, was over chariot racing, and saw tens of thousands dead and half the city destroyed.
-
Emperor Nero competed in the Olympic Games. Nero did terribly and was nearly killed in a chariot race, but was nonetheless declared the winner in every event he competed in.
-
In the Olympics of 67 A.D., Emperor Nero competed in the 4-horse chariot races with a 10-horse team, only to be thrown from his chariot. He didn't finish the race but he was still proclaimed the winner on the grounds that he would have won had he been able to complete the race.
-
Australia had chariot races in the 1930s but instead of horses, they used motorcycles
-
In Roman chariot racing, there were four teams named after the colours they wore – the Reds, Whites, Blues and Greens. Fan loyalties were so strong, and the sport so brutal, that spectators were encouraged to sabotage the opposing teams by throwing lead amulets studded with nails at the racers.
-
In the 1930s in Australia, people used to have chariot races but with motorcycles instead of horses
-
Over a hundred horses were killed during the production of the 1925 Ben-Hur film. Most deaths came from the use of a wire device to trip up galloping horses during a major chariot race sequence.
-
A man named Glaucus once insulted Aphrodite. She fed his horses magic water which caused them to turn on him during a chariot race, crushing him, and then eating him. Most of the time however Aphrodite was kind and loving.
-
The most violent sports riots to ever happen occurred in 532 AD where 30,000 people died and half of Constantinople was burned down because of the results of a chariot race.
Why was chariot racing so popular?
You can easily fact check why was chariot racing invented by examining the linked well-known sources.
On top of gladiatorial battles and chariot races, the Romans also held boat battles reenacting historical events going so far as to sometimes even flood arenas for better viewing.
The biggest sports riot occurred in the Byzantine Empire in 532 AD, between fans of opposite chariot racing teams where 30,000 people died. - source
The Ancient Greek Olympics included events such as boxing, wrestling, discus, chariot racing, javelin, long jump, and many others. Wrestlers had to compete with no clothing in those days.
Motorcycle chariot racing was a popular form of 'sport' in the 1920's and 30's
The ancient Etruscan civilization originated much of what people consider to be Roman attributes including the Roman arch, togas, bronze battle armor, chariot racing, and gladiators. - source
When did chariot racing start?
Ancient Romans liked their entertainment, often held in arenas known as coliseums. Popular sports included gladiator fights, and chariot races, as well as events that resulted in the death of people, became popular.
How to draw chariot racing?
During the 1920's and 30's in Europe, Australia, and the US motorcycle chariot racing was invented. This was achieved by attaching the motorcycles to a chariot like one would a horse, and even using reins or extensions for the throttle and handlebars.
During the Nika Riots Emperor Justinian was trapped in his palace by tens of thousands of chariot race hooligans and was only able to survive because he supported the blue team and the man trying to replace him supported the greens. This made the blues turn on the greens and save the emperor!
The highest-paid athlete of all time is a Roman charioteer by the name of Gaius Appuleius Diocles. He won 1,462 of 4,257 four-horse races he competed in. His winnings totaled 35,863,120 sesterces, or adjusted for inflation, as of 2014 his fortune was equivalent to about 15 billion USD.
Cynisca, the first woman champion of the original Greek Olympic games. Women were not allowed to compete in or even attend the Olympics, but the Spartan princess owned and trained the horses that twice won the chariot-racing event.
