The Olympic Games of Antiquity were an exclusively male event, and women were prohibited from attending, whether as athletes or spectators; at least the gynaikes (married women), since Pausanias seems to indicate that the parthenai (unmarried young women) could indeed be in the stands. However, Spartan women enjoyed greater freedom, and just as their education […]
Chariot racings
Posted inAncient Rome
Flavius Scorpus, the Hispanic Charioteer Who Won 2,048 Races Without Losing a Single One
Those who become fans of Those About to Die, a recent television series about gladiators directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Anthony Hopkins as Vespasian, will notice that among the main characters there is one who leads a rather wild life: the charioteer. This character is based on a real person who indeed lived during […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Gaius Appuleius Diocles, the invincible charioteer considered the highest-paid athlete in history
They probably don’t know it, but Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher and all the champions in motorsports, whether Formula 1 or other specialties, had a historical predecessor who surpassed them all in victories and fame, and by a wide margin. We’re talking about Gaius Appuleius Diocles, the most famous charioteer of Antiquity, a Spaniard who stirred […]