Image Gallery
Motya Charioteer
The Motya Charioteer, marble statue depicting a charioteer celebrating a victory in one of the Panhellenic Games, made by a Greek sculptor in Sicily, c. 460-450 BCE, found in 1979 on the Sicilian island of Motya. This is a very rare surviving example of an original Greek victor statue.
Museo Giuseppe Whitaker, Motya.
Bibliography
- Meijer, Fik & Waters, Liz. Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.
Questions & Answers
Where were chariot races held?
- Chariot races were held in massive purpose-built structures called hippodromes or circuses, with posts marking the turning points. In Rome, chariot races took place in the Circus Maximus, a huge, oval-shaped stadium that could seat nearly 250,000 spectators.
What did a Roman chariot look like?
- The Roman chariot was a two-wheeled cart made of wood that was pulled by teams of two to four horses. It was designed with small and light wheels to help stabilize it as it took sharp turns.
What did Roman charioteers wear?
- The charioteers wore protective clothing of thick leather helmets and thick tunics with horizontal leather padded bands around their chests and trunks, and also around their thighs.
Who was the best chariot racer in antiquity?
- The racers who were incredibly successful could become millionaires. One of the most famous charioteers was a man named Gaius Appuleius Diocles, who, in the 2nd century CE, won a total of 1,463 races of his 4,257 races and finished second 861 times.
