Ancient Roman Chariot Races

Ancient Roman chariot races were held in the Circus, such as the Circus Maximus. The festivities such as the Ludi Magni which were celebrated with the chariot races in honour of Jupiter, generally began early in the morning with a religious procession called the "pompa circensis". The procession included religious representatives, all the chariot racing teams accompanied by their standards, musicians, attending magistrates and workers of the Circus. Images of the gods such as the Dioscuri twins (one was a famed rider the other a boxer), Cibele mother of the gods and Neptune god of horses also accompanied the procession on little chariots of their own. The procession started at sunrise at the Capitol, proceeded through the Forum and into the "porta Triumphalis" (triumphal gate) of the Circus itself. The dignitaries would take their seats and to the sound of trumpets, the chariots and competitors entered the arena from the stables called "carceres", accompanied by their entourage of six slave assistants . The stables were situated in the flat end of the circus called the "officium".