Ancient Roman Circus Entertainment

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In all ages of civilization there are a few pillars in society that always stand tall, even as the outer faces change. One of these pillars is the need and demand for entertainment. Even the Roman Empire, that was thought to be the greatest empire, had a demand for entertainment. In the time of the Roman Empire, one of the most popular forms of entertainment was the Roman Circus. Unlike a modern circus today, a Roman Circus was a form of chariot racing. A Roman Circus can be compared to a major event of today such as the Super Bowl. To all citizens of every social class, from slaves to emperors, the circus was the most sought after event. This can seen in many of the works of art from this time period. Sculptures, statues, and even money, …show more content…
The largest and most famous arena was Circus Maximus which could accommodate 250,000 people. Anthony Rich, professor of ancient history at Cambridge University states that: “The Circus Maximus was first built by Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth Etruscan ruler of Rome c530BC.” A normal day at the races usually lasted the entire day and was comprised of 12 races, although this number eventually doubled. Each charioteer would have to complete 7 laps around a large dirt track that had no lanes for the horses. And despite many pictures of chariots being pulled by 2 horses the most common chariots were pulled by 4 and in some rare cases were pulled by 6 horses. Roman racing chariots differed from their military counterparts in that they were made for speed rather than protection and brute strength. Racing chariots were often made of wood and were not as sturdy as the metal battle chariots. So when the races began it was a heated battle of survival as well as glory. An example of the dangers of the races is a quote by professor Fredrik Jonsson of Chicago University that writes: “The racing chariots were light, fragile affairs, easily smashed in a collision, in which case the driver was often entangled in the long reins and dragged to death or seriously injured.” When passions erupted in the races, the charioteers tried their hardest to keep away from the edges of the track and to keep good distance between themselves and other racers. However, many sustained injuries during the races and eventually some did suffer fatal wounds. It was not uncommon for factions to even battle each other during the races and purposely injure their opponents. In fact, many drivers were injured due to the rivalry of the factions. The following curse tablet represents an attempt to incapacitate the drivers of the Red
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