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Classics 2300 > Lecture 16 & 17 > Flashcards

Lecture 16 & 17 Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the most popular spectacle?

A

The Imperial Circus Maximus

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2
Q

How many days of the year would there be a full day of state sponsored chariot racing in Rome?

A

66 days in a row

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3
Q

What is the Imperial Circus Maximus?

A

It was built for racing, dates back to the 6th century and changed constantly because of construction, The BIGGEST circus in the world, other were all circuses were in Italy

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4
Q

What is a Team?

A

Four horses and thats what you would race with

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5
Q

What is a Faction?

A

The charioteers, one would drive a team of horses

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6
Q

What facts do we know about the Colossal Structure?

A

There are 3 levels, its was the BIGGEST structure in the Roman world

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7
Q

How many people can the Circus Maximus seat?

A

150,000 people but thats a conservative estimate, but 250,000 could watch if you included people who stood on the roof of surround buildings

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8
Q

How was seating determined at the Circus Maximus?

A

It was segregated by social class, you weren’t allowed to pay to sit else where. You would be PUNISHED if you did

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9
Q

What determined how good your seats were?

A
  1. roman vs. non roman 2. male vs. female 3. free vs. slave 4. aristocrat vs non-aristocrat
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10
Q

What is a Pulvinar?

A

Word used to describe the best seats, at the bottom (front row)

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11
Q

Who sat in the Pulvinar?

A

Emperor, statues of the Gods to honour the gods w/front row seats, important people

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12
Q

What law was passed by an emperor in regards to seating?

A

The need for sufficient seating for everyone that had a high rank to sit in the Pulvinar, those reserved seats were not allowed to be passed onto someone else, which left it usually half empty

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13
Q

Circus vs Hippodrome?

A

H has a rural setting in the country side, while C was in the City and it was just below the emperor’s palace

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14
Q

What was the racing surface like for the Greeks?

A

They would race on soil, which didn’t allow for proper drainage and also result in an uneven surface which has pits

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15
Q

What was the racing surface like for the Romans?

A

They constructed it themselves, they were all similar, has a layer of sand that is loose, under that was gravel, under that was crushed brick, and lastly they was sand that has been stamped down. Was an IDEAL racing surface. Layers allowed for drainage

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16
Q

What is the layout of the Circus?

A

Theres a curved end at the top and a straight end on the other side with 2 long sides

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17
Q

How does the layout differ from the Greek Hippodrome?

A

It only had a turning post which allowed racers to go where they want but that caused a lot of head on collisions

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18
Q

What was the wall in the Roman Circus Maximus?

A

It was called a spine, which you had to go all the way around

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19
Q

What type of things would be on the Spine at the Roman Circus?

A

Statues of the Gods, works of art, even Egyptian art. They were spaced out so you could see through it

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20
Q

What is a Finishing Box?

A

Its the “ref box”, located by the finishing line

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21
Q

What would people do if they wanted a re run?

A

Wave their cloaks, it was said that after the race they could do so to have a rematch, but there wasn’t a reason for the rerun

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22
Q

In an art piece, what depicts a circus?

A

7 eggs and dolphins on the Spine, which kept track of the laps

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23
Q

How were the dolphins used?

A

They begin with the nose pointing all in the same direction and as laps were completed each dolphin was flip in the other direction

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24
Q

How were the eggs used?

A

Each egg was put up on the stand as each lap was completed

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25
What was another way to identify a circus?
A turning post on either side of the spine, 3 pillars with eggs on top
26
What is the Carceres?
The starting gates which is slang as it means prison, a gated starting box for the horses (Herme on either side)
27
Why were spring loaded gates arranged in a curved line?
Created equal distance to the line, you had to stay in the lane until you got to the line as Romans were concerned about fairness
28
How was it determined which starting gate they got?
Charioteers would pick balls out of a vase
29
What direction did the 7 laps go?
It would be 7 times counter clockwise
30
What was the distance in 1 lap?
Minimum of 5km, but it was probably more because you would have to be hugging the post to be 5 km
31
How long was the race?
About 8 minutes, know this as filmmakers recreated the circus maximus, it was a total of 35 km and they would get up to 70 km/hr
32
Why should one be nervous when they are choosing rocks?
Charioteers can align with each other, so being in between 2 people that were aligned wasn't good
33
Why were horses often getting treated for an eye injury?
Opponents would whip other peoples horses intentionally
34
What is a Shipwreck?
When both the horse and chariot would flip over and they aren't able to continue after
35
Who are Sparsores?
Someone who sprinkles, usually holding a jug. They are on the race track maybe to hit the axles with grease because there was a lot of friction/heat
36
Who are Hortatores?
Someone who gives commands, they may command you and tell you if there was a crash and where to go etc.
37
What were recovery teams?
They were additional people to keep the race running smoothly like get teams off that have crashed
38
What did the winner receive?
A palm branch, a wreath and a bag of money! Sometimes got a victory lap if they were very honourable
39
How many races were held in a day?
24 races
40
How many races were held in the imperial period?
At least 10 per day, roughly 1000 horses were used in a day as they weren't used more than once
41
What needed to be done in-between races?
Needed to get the new horses on the track, make the tracks smooth, re-draw chalk lanes
42
What were the shows in between races?
There were equestrian entertainments, flipping/doing tricks on horses. Done to entertain people while they were prepping the race
43
What did one emperor do in regards to the amount of races they had?
He had 100 races in a day! Made each race 5 minutes.
44
What was a Pompa?
Each day started with this, it was a special parade with musicians, dancers, and a wagon pulled by horse's w/the statues of gods. The editor and charioteers did one lap before the races began
45
Who was the Editor?
They were responsible for organizing and overseeing/sometimes funding. Being in this position was a good opportunity to make a mark in the Roman world
46
Could the Circus Maximus be used for other events?
Yes, such as for animal hunts.
47
Who are infames?
People who were paid for performing. They would be doing chariot racing in public
48
When did slaves start to train to race?
They were START racing at ages 13/14 but train when they were probably 5/6
49
What did factions do with the slaves?
They would take them and force them to train, but that benefitted them as their competitors who weren't slaves didn't have training
50
Who was Diocles?
He won ALOT and tried to argue that he won less races but won more money
51
What does it mean by Free Agency?
You weren't a slave and you were able to switch factions as you please, slaves were able to but themselves out of being a slave
52
Were people devoted to the charioteers as individuals or the faction?
FACTION! They would still know about the individuals and all their facts but they would be devoted to the faction not individual
53
What did it mean to be called a Maljarii?
Meant you won a thousand races
54
What were the risks to racing?
Deaths were much less frequent than gladiators! They would die racing but they would have competed hundreds of times
55
What were the horses like that raced?
They raced from the ages 3-5, they were genetically engineered to produce good racers in the next generation
56
What were the horse preferences for Greeks vs. Romans?
Greeks thought females horses were faster and Romans thought males were
57
What would famous horses get?
Gravestones, palm branches if they won, and victory prizes (food)
58
What is a Quadriga?
A 4 horse chariot and it was the most common and no chariot ever survives. It was the most prestigious as well as riding 1 horse was something everyone could do but 4 was much more difficult
59
Why would charioteers carry a knife?
Romans would tie the rope around their waste to have max control over the horses, and if anything happens he can just cut himself loose
60
Who bought the 4 factions and made them public entities?
Augustus
61
What were the colours of the 4 factions?
Blue, Green, Red, White
62
What were Triple Races?
3 charioteers from 1 factions working together because they want their team to win
63
What was a Single Race?
Each charioteers trying to win for themselves, they would always race in equal number from each faction, 4, 8, and 12. Only experienced racers would be allowed to compete
64
What was it not possible to win your first race?
You would always be assigned as a helper in the first few years, there was always 1 person that was chosen to win when you were helping each other out
65
What era were charioteers prosecuted for Witchcraft?
The imperial era
66
What are some accurate facts from the Ben Hurr clip?
trumpets, dolphins and dropping of the napkins. Soldiers/security/extra staff

Classics 2300 (20 decks)

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