Circus Maximus
Chariot-racing oval that hosted the ancient city's grandest public spectacles for over a millennium.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Circus Maximus in Rome starts with the mechanics of Roman chariot racing, where drivers wound the reins around their own waists and only a small dagger could save them if the chariot overturned. You'll hear about the fatal shipwrecks, as Romans called the crashes, and meet Diocles, a charioteer born in Lusitania who raced here for twenty-four years using a patient, come-from-behind strategy. Stand on the grass of the valley floor — this is the track he ran.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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