Circus Maximus

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.