Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Hippodrome of Olympia housed the equestrian contests (horse racing and chariot racing) of the Ancient Olympic Games. According to Pausanias , [ 1 ] it was situated to the south of the Stadium and covered a large area four stadia (780 meters) long and one stade four plethora (220 meters) wide.
In the ancient Olympic Games, and other Panhellenic Games, chariot racing was one of the most important equestrian events, and could be watched by unmarried women. Married women were banned from watching any Olympic events but a Spartan noblewoman is known to have trained horse-teams for the Olympics and won two races, one of them as driver.
396 BCE and 392 BCE — Cynisca, a Spartan princess, was the first woman to win an event at the Ancient Olympic Games, although she was not allowed to enter the stadium. She owned a successful four-horse chariot racing team that won at successive Olympics. [26] 2nd century BCE — the Olympics continued to be celebrated when Greece came under ...
Horse racing and chariot racing were the most prestigious competitions in the games, due to only the wealthy being able to afford the maintenance and transportation of horses. These races consisted of different events: the four-horse chariot race, the two-horse chariot race, and the horse with rider race, the rider being hand picked by the owner.
By 648 BCE, both chariot and mounted horse racing events were part of the ancient Greek Olympics, [12] and were important in the other Panhellenic Games. Chariot racing was dangerous to both driver and horse, often leading to serious injury and even death.
A papyrus list of Olympic victors, 3rd century A.D., British Library The current list of ancient Olympic victors contains all of the known victors of the ancient Olympic Games from the 1st Games in 776 BC up to 264th in 277 AD, as well as the games of 369 AD before their permanent disbandment in 393 by Roman emperor Theodosius I.
According to two late 4th-century inscriptions, the hippodrome held three boys events, nine men's athletic events, and four equestrian events. There were also two-horse chariot races, four-foal chariot races, four-horse chariot races, and horseback races held. Races held at the hippodrome peaked around the 4th century BC.
Just how far back in history organized contests were held remains a matter of debate, but it is reasonably certain that they occurred in Greece almost 3,000 years ago. . However ancient in origin, by the end of the 6th century BC at least four Greek sporting festivals, sometimes called "classical games," had achieved major importance: the Olympic Games, held at Olympia; the Pythian Games at ...