Similar to Formula One, the benefit of racing into fresh air and securing the inside line was almost incalculable. The battle to be first to the turning post was critical in chariot races. Some of the Australian’s horses did in fact appear in the 2016 Hollywood remake of Ben Hur. “When I am on the ground, I have to take a deep breath and remind myself I have done it before,” he added, a little nervously.
“Even if you see one eventing horse gallop past you or a host of race horses it’s pretty impressive, so when a team of horses gallop past you it can be a little bit overpowering,” Exell said.
#ANCIENT OLYMPIC CHARIOT RACES MOVIE#
There is a reason why the chariot-racing scene in the 1959 movie Ben Hur remains one of cinema’s most spectacular sequences of all-time. Eventually, all the chariots would be level, hurtling down the track together.
As these chariots emerged and drew level with the ones in front the ropes holding them in fell and so on. At the sound of a trumpet an imperious eagle would rise at the point of the prow as a dolphin fell, this movement would precipitate the rising of the ropes holding in the back markers at either side. The mechanism was the shape of a ship’s prow, facing down the track.
#ANCIENT OLYMPIC CHARIOT RACES DRIVER#
With the driver perched on a wooden-wheeled, open-backed chariot, which rested on its own back axle, teams would funnel into an ingenious starting gate in Olympia’s specially-constructed Hippodrome. The four-horse chariot race was the most popular, prestigious and long-lasting event on the equestrian programme at the Ancient Games. “One horse is as strong as 10 men, when you multiply that by four you get that power and strength into one motion, the acceleration and g-force is unbelievable.” “You can’t quite comprehend the power of four horses when they hit stride together,” said Boyd Exell, the four-time four-in-hand International Equestrian Federation (FEI) world champion – just about the closest thing we have to a modern day charioteer.
Present at the Ancient Olympic Games from 680BC, it continues to capture our attention and fuel our imagination more than two-and-a-half thousand years later. Please note that Phoenix does not normally consider for publication articles of longer than 40 pages in manuscript, nor do we consider material that will be published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere.Thrills, spills and crashes guaranteed at the ancient chariot racesĬhariot racing is one of the most thrilling, visceral and danger-filled sports ever invented by man. The standard length of a Phoenix article is up to 10,000 words, including notes. Papers illustrated with black-and-white photographs, maps, and/or line-drawings are welcome. Authors should ensure that the argument of the paper is clearly expressed and its general significance made clear. The journal welcomes submissions that use new approaches to elucidate their chosen topic and wishes to encourage more submissions on broader themes, as well as those that treat a single question in a detailed manner. Articles should make a fresh, interesting, and significant contribution to our understanding of classical antiquity. Phoenix, journal of the Classical Association of Canada, publishes scholarly papers embodying original research in all areas of classical studies: the literature, language, history, philosophy, religion, mythology, science, archaeology, art, architecture, and culture of the Greek and Roman worlds from earliest times to about AD 600.
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