Chariot Racing Flashcards

1
Q

Which games were chariot races associated with?

A

Ludi

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2
Q

What was the venue for chariot racing

A

Circus Maximus

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3
Q

Define the spina

A

a barrier dividing the ancient Roman hippodrome longitudinally. Chariots would race around the spina

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4
Q

From what geographical region did chariot races supposedly originate and when?

A

Easter Mediterranean, 8000-6000 BCE

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5
Q

Which Ancient Greek stories feature chariot racing

A

Illiad (fall of Troy) and Odyssey (journey of Odysseus back home)

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6
Q

Two cultures the Romans may have taken chariot racing from

A

Greeks

Etruscans

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7
Q

What historical evidence do we have for chariot racing among the etruscans

A

Tomb of the Olympiads - some had sport paintings - scene of chariot racing

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8
Q

What is the lifespan of chariot racing in Roman history

A

2000 years

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9
Q

Which Roman origin story includes chariot racing and what happened

A

Romulus and the “Rape of the Sabine Women”

  • Roman writers claim this was how Rome was populated
  • supposedly knew about chariot racing since the beginning (festival at beginning)
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10
Q

What was the Greek version of the Circus Maximus

A

The hippodrome

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11
Q

What was the name of the most popular chariot and how many horses did it have

A

Quadriga, four horses

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12
Q

How were the horses in a quadriga organized

A

2 middle horses attached to the pole in the middle, 2 trace horses on the outside just attached by the reigns

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13
Q

What made chariot races so dangerous for drivers and what safety method was supposed to save them

A

The reigns were wrapped around the body of the driver, they were to cut the reigns if they saw a crash coming

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14
Q

What was the name of a 3 horse chariot

A

Triga

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15
Q

What was the name of a 2 horse chariot

A

Biga

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16
Q

What was the purpose of a biga and how did it function

A

Horses trained on this one before moving up to a bigger one, both horses attached to yoke, charioteer only has to move reigns and body

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17
Q

Who was a munus for

A

Aimed at below “dead people”

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18
Q

Who was a ludi for

A

Aimed at above, worshipping gods

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19
Q

How long was the calendar of Philocus (354 CE) and what took place?

A

176 feast days, of which:

  • 102 for theatrical performances
  • 64 for chariot races
  • 10 for gladiatorial shows
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20
Q

True or False: Owners of horses would compete in chariot races

A

False. It was unlikely the actual owners would compete, they would have someone else race for them

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21
Q

True or False: one of the highest achievements was winning chariot racing

A

True

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22
Q

What colours did the Romans use for chariot racing (still used today)

A

Green, blue, red, and white

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23
Q

How was the organization of chariot racing similar to sports teams of today

A

Both run by (something like a) board of directors

24
Q

2 examples of where the Romans would go to get horses

A

North Africa, Middle East (Arabian horses)

25
Q

True or False: horse breeding was common in Italy

A

True. Farms all over Italy would breed horses

26
Q

What was the process for obtaining and training horses

A

Difficult to obtain - had to import and train (same logistics as for beast hunts). Horses did not enter a stable for training until they were 2 and would not be raced until they were 5 (3 years of training).

27
Q

How many chariot races took place per day of a ludi and how many horses were needed

A

Average 24 races per day, need 400-800 horses

28
Q

How many times would a horse race per day

A

1 time per day, may race first thing in the morning if they were needed at the end of the day

29
Q

What outlandish thing did Caligula do with a horse:
A) served its meat after it won a race
B) fucked it in the middle of the circus
C) made it a senator
D) disguised himself as a horse and raced in the events

A

C) made it a senator. Even had a jewelled collar and furniture for the horse

30
Q

How were horses named

A

In line with appearance, characteristics, named after myths and victories

31
Q

What does the Pompa Circensis refer to?

A

Procession for the ludi

32
Q

What took place in a Pompa Circensis

A

Charioteers and horses parades among other athletes in the procession

33
Q

Who were the charioteers

A

Not slaves, just lower class citizens

34
Q

Where did the Pompa Circensis begin and end

A

Starts near the Forum Romanium (capital hill line) and makes it way to the Circus Maximus

35
Q

Which chariots ran first and why

A

The best chariots ran first so they could possibly run a second time at the end of the day + everyone was in attendance at the beginning

36
Q

How long was the race (in km and minutes)

A

5km and roughly 9-10 minutes

37
Q

How many chariots raced at a time

A

4

38
Q

How fast could chariots go on straightaways and tunes

A

Straightaways: 70km/h
Turns: 30km/h

39
Q

How could charioteers interfere with other racers

A

Could whip other horses or opponents

40
Q

What were the three prizes awarded

A

Palm branch
Laurel crown
Money

41
Q

Define naufragia

A

Crashes and deaths that occur during the race

42
Q

What did charioteers wear (4)

A

Helmet (falx)
Tunic in the colour of their faction
Fasciae (bands of cloth around body)
Knife (cut reigns off body if they fell)

43
Q

What was the status of charioteers

A

Not of high status

  • freed men (between slave and citizen)
  • slaves
  • 21% Roman citizens
  • 12% slaves who became citizens through races
44
Q

How many races took place per year

A

60+

45
Q

What legal status did charioteers have

A

Status of infamia

46
Q

How were charioteers looked at by the people

A

Top sport celebrities

47
Q

How old were charioteers when they began their careers

A

Very young

48
Q

What role do factions and clubs have to chariot racing

A

Considered to be the core of chariot racing, critical to the organization

49
Q

What Ancient artifacts demonstrate the popularity or chariot racing

A

Jewelry influenced by chariot racing (even among wealthy who in most cases looked down upon the aspects of performance)

50
Q

Other than white, red, green and blue, which colours were added to the factions by Domitian

A

Purple and gold

51
Q

How were fans of chariot racing similar to sports fans of today

A

Factions would pay membership dues, sit in reserved sections, yell specific chants

52
Q

What may have explained who you cheered for

A

Where you lived or worked

53
Q

Who would the elites cheer for

A

Some elites would cheer for the emperors preference

54
Q

What were defixiones

A

Curse tablets

55
Q

What were defixiones used for

A

Curse charioteers and horses they did not want to win

56
Q

What were defixiones made of and how were they used

A

Inscribed bronze sheet, crumpled up and thrown into the fire to pay respect to the gods

57
Q

What were actions of “good” and “bad” emperors relating to the games

A

Good emperors would attend and support games; bad emperors would kill people who supported opposing teams