tour 4 of 10
Chariot-racing in ancient Rome
Ivory bust of a charioteer
This figure is dressed in the thick,
horizontally-banded tunic that charioteers wore as protective
clothing.
The passion for
chariot-racing evidently spanned all sections of Roman society,
from the ordinary citizens who regularly filled the
200,000-capacity Circus Maximus, to the emperor himself. Teams were
sponsored by private individuals, by the emperor, and by the
'factions' or supporters clubs. These passionately
committed groups of supporters were known by their colours - Blues,
Reds, Greens and Whites. According to the biographer Suetonius, the
emperor Caligula (reigned AD 37-41) 'supported the Green
faction with such ardour that he would often dine and spend the
night in their stables and, on one occasion, gave the driver
Eutychus presents worth 20,000 gold pieces.' (Caligula 55,
2f.).
It has been suggested
that this is a portrait of the emperor Caracalla (reigned AD
198-217) as a charioteer.