Page 163 - A Walk to Caesarea / Joseph Patrich

A Walk to Caesarea: A Historical-Archaeological Perspective 149

At the Edges of the City and Outside Its Walls

The Roman Circus in the Eastern Part of the City (Fig. 168)

Fig. 168 The Roman circus in the east of the city and the obelisk at its center, aerial photo to the north

Horse and Chariot Races (hippika)

These races included chariots harnessed to four horses (quadriga/tetrahippon), two-horse chariots (biga/synoris),
horseback riding, colt riding, and races called desultores kalpe, in which the riders finished the race running on foot
alongside their horses. The different types of riding competitions were an important part of these games, no less than
the chariot races. Organizationally, in the Greek and Hellenistic world the competitors in the horse and chariot races
were wealthy private individuals (including women), owners of horses and riders (even though the owners could ride
for themselves), and not “clubs” like the four “circus factions” that organized the races in Roman-style competitions.
The number of competitors, therefore, was not limited to multiples of four, any number was acceptable.

The Roman-style races were consolidated in the Circus Maximus – the large circus (hippodrome) of Rome, whose
capacity in the time of Augustus reached 250,000 spectators. Emphasis was placed in these competitions on chariot
races, especially four-horse chariots.

Teams participated in a race, not individual competitors. They were known by their representative colors and drew
the admiration of many fans. These were the “circus factions” – the whites, reds, blues, and the greens, becoming in
time factors of political influence beyond the competitions themselves (like different sports clubs today). Hence, under
the empire the competitions were limited to teams in multiples of fours (12 in the Circus Maximus in the days of Julius
Caesar). This system enabled races in which each faction would be represented by two or three chariots that cooperated
with each other so as to insure that the winner would be a representative of the faction.