"The clatter of the rattling chariots filled the whole arena, and the dust flew up as they sped along in a dense mass, each driver goading his team unmercifully in his efforts to draw clear of the rival axles and panting steeds." -- Sophocles, Electra, 5th century B.C.
Chariot racing
No event at the Ancient Olympics combined thrilling speed and chilling potential for danger quite like the chariot races. Spectators packed the hippodrome, literally "horse track," to see as many as 40 chariots navigate the tight turns and wide straights.
There were two types of chariot races, the synoris for two-horse teams and the tethrippon for four-horse teams. Both of these were divided into two categories, races for all horses and races for colts. The hippodrome at Olympia was unusually large, with each lap covering nearly three-quarters of a mile. All chariot races were of grueling length, ranging from four laps for the colts' synoris to 12 or more laps for the open tethrippon.
The most treacherous parts of the course, clearly, were the 180-degree turns at either end. Sophocles describes what must have been a common occurrence with horrific results: "At each turn of the lap, Orestes reined in his inner trace-horse and gave the outer its head, so skillfully that his hub just cleared the post by a hair's breadth every time; and so the poor fellow had safely rounded every lap but one without mishap to himself or his chariot. But at the last he misjudged the turn, slackened his left rein before the horse was safely round the bend, and so struck the post. The hub was smashed across, and he was hurled over the rail entangled in the reins, and as he fell his horses ran wild across the course."
The charioteers
Much like today's jockeys, charioteers were hired by wealthy horse owners to do dangerous work. In victory, the owner received the glory, including a crown and the honors of being announced as the victor and recorded in the list of winners. The charioteer settled for a ribbon. The charioteer carried a whip, sometimes used in combination with a long stick with metal jingles on the end. Horses were controlled by reins with bits or nose bands.
In addition to the danger, charioteers endured what must have been an uncomfortable ride. Chariots were of light construction, most made of wood or wicker, designed for speed. No springs, no shock absorbers. A lap around the rutted hippodrome course surely was a bumpy ride. Many chariots, however, were painted in bright colors, decorated with leather, sheet bronze or silver inlay.
The starting gate
The Greeks had an ingenious solution to an age-old racing problem. A starting gate, called the aphesis, created a staggered start in which chariots on the outside of the course had a fair chance to reach the first turn. Shaped like a triangle, the aphesis protruded like the front of a ship, with stalls for each chariot and an elaborate crank system that opened 40 gates in reverse order, two at a time, giving the chariots with the most distance to cover an advantage of momentum.
Horse racing
In antiquity, the horseback race, the keles, was just as exciting and even more dangerous than today. Jockeys rode bareback and without stirrups - the saddle had not been invented - and the horse races took place after the chariot races, which left the course rough and rutted. Jockeys, like charioteers, were paid employees.
Obviously, chariot racing no longer exists - or does it? When it comes to horse-powered thrills and spills, auto racing is the modern-day equivalent to chariot racing, be it Formula One or NASCAR. Today's charioteers receive a greater share of the glory, but drivers are hired to take all the risks. Consider that the fastest chariots were powered by four horses, while an F1 engine produces nearly 1,000 horsepower. Where the Greeks put 40 chariots on the three-quarter-mile hippodrome course, NASCAR puts 43 brightly painted stock cars on the half-mile track at Bristol. And just like the hippodrome, the most treacherous spots on a race track, be it road course or oval, are the turns. The smallest miscalculation by the driver or the slightest touch between two cars can trigger a spectacular crash.
