Chariot races Chariot racing took place at the Circus Maximus in the centre of Rome. This venue was built using marble and could seat over 200,000 people. The track length was almost 1,400 metres and a race was usually seven laps around the central spine of the track. The chariots of four horses each were divided into Reds, Blues, Greens and Whites. Supporters followed their team’s colour with great devotion. Crashes were very common and could easily result in deaths. Successful charioteers were hugely popular and could become very rich, like modern-day footballers!
Fig 2.20 Romans flocked to Circus Maximus to watch chariot races.
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Fig 2.21 Chariot racing was a very popular event among Romans, but it was a dangerous sport to take part in due to the high numbers of crashes, often resulting in death.
Gladiators Another popular
pastime was to attend
gladiatorial fights at the Colosseum. It could hold over 70,000 people. Gladiators were usually criminals or slaves but sometimes they were professional fighters. They fought one another or fought wild animals such as bears and lions.
Fig 2.22 People attended gladiatorial fights at the Colosseum. 43