Chariot Races

[Spurius]

I noticed that we were lacking a general view of the races, so here is - extended from my first posting of it here.

 

The Chariot Races: an overview

 

Horsepower

The team of horses was called the auriga (aurigae). In translations and usage, the term is also refers to the driver and the driver/team as a unit. The best or swiftest horse was called funalis. Its position on the auriga was always the outside, to lead the other horses while covering the most ground. The team strategy was to array the other houses to best effect in support of the funalis. As with many other entertainments, at a certain base level, it mimicked a virtue of Roman society: The best use of people was to be arrayed as a good auriga in support of their patron.

 

The race teams consisted of two, three, four or more horses. A two-horse team was called a biga, a three-horse a triga and a four-horse team was a quadriga. The quadriga was rigged with the center two horses yoked and the outer horses held by trace. Control of these outer horses was paramount for speed. With large teams, the inside horse became important in that the animal had to hold the inside line to keep the chariot from crashing on curves. There were larger teams, with as many as ten horses, but they were very rarely used and mostly as a showcase of drivers skill rather than speed. Imagine the skill and strength involved in holding as many as six horses by trace.

 

Chariots and their Drivers

Roman chariots were always built for speed. Given the terrain and relative late organization compared to other civilizations, early Rome did not adopt the chariot as a weapon of war. There was no large platform for secure footing, just enough room for the driver to stand. No provision made for a second rider to help with the turns or hurl weaponry. There were almost no side railings or even side walls. The wheels were as light as possible and would have shattered on an overland journey. The racing chariot owed little to its weapon of war precursor.

 

The average charioteer had a relatively short career before injury or death ended it. Pile-ups near or on the meta (metae) were common (see track configuration below). The Roman style of racing had driver standing upright and slightly forward in the chariot, wearing a belted tunic in the colors of his team (more on that below) and a light helmet. The Greek style had the rider stand higher and straighter. The Roman driver looped the reins over his arm for a firmer grip on the traces in the corners, unlike the Greek style where the reins were gripped just in the hand. That meant if anything happened that caused a spill, the Roman driver could be dragged by his team. Hence a curved knife was worn in the belt to cut the reins if necessary.

 

The public adored the top drivers. They were quite literally comparable to modern day sports stars

Edited March 13, 2006 by Spurius

[caldrail]

Brill. As an addendum to that, I would like to stress that racing chariots were nothing like those we see in Ben Hur. The film chariots are ceremonial ones and way too heavy for horses to pull on a real race. During filming, the poor horses struggled to keep the pace. Lightweight construction, like modern racing cars, was essential.

 

And I doubt 'greek chariots' with scythes on the axles would have passed scrutineering! Or were chariots like that ever user used on special occaisions? Anyone know?