{"id":3288,"date":"2025-03-21T14:52:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T14:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/?post_type=percorsi&#038;p=3288"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:01:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T14:01:48","slug":"the-charioteers-of-the-caseggiato-degli-aurighi","status":"publish","type":"percorsi","link":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/trails\/sport-and-athletes-in-ancient-ostia\/the-charioteers-of-the-caseggiato-degli-aurighi\/","title":{"rendered":"The Charioteers of the Caseggiato degli Aurighi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-start=\"111\" data-end=\"428\">Although no circus \u2014 the arena dedicated to chariot and horse races known as <em data-start=\"188\" data-end=\"204\">Ludi Circenses<\/em> \u2014 has been found at Ostia, such competitions must have taken place here. This is evidenced by two frescoes depicting charioteers that once adorned a corridor wall in the <em data-start=\"375\" data-end=\"401\">Caseggiato degli Aurighi<\/em> (&#8220;Charioteers\u2019 Building&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"111\" data-end=\"428\"><strong>The Charioteers of the Caseggiato degli Aurighi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Aurighi-1024x741.webp\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"488\" data-end=\"759\">The two charioteers, each framed in a small panel against a white background, are shown triumphantly driving their chariots. Both hold the crown and palm of victory in their hands. The horses are depicted at full gallop, and the figures are positioned to face each other.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"761\" data-end=\"1318\">The <em data-start=\"765\" data-end=\"781\">Ludi Circenses<\/em> included races with <em data-start=\"802\" data-end=\"809\">bigae<\/em> (two-horse chariots) and <em data-start=\"835\" data-end=\"846\">quadrigae<\/em> (four-horse chariots). The track had a sand surface and consisted of two long, parallel straightaways, separated by a central <em data-start=\"973\" data-end=\"980\">spina<\/em>. At each end of the <em data-start=\"1001\" data-end=\"1008\">spina<\/em> stood a <em data-start=\"1017\" data-end=\"1023\">meta<\/em>, a turning post that marked the 180\u00b0 curve of the track. The race consisted of multiple laps, and the charioteer had to skillfully drive the horses at top speed on the straights \u2014 but most importantly, he had to navigate the tight turns around the <em data-start=\"1272\" data-end=\"1278\">meta<\/em> without losing time or risking a crash.<\/p>\n<p>The <em data-start=\"1347\" data-end=\"1373\">Caseggiato degli Aurighi<\/em> forms part of a unified architectural complex, together with the <em data-start=\"1439\" data-end=\"1465\">Baths of the Seven Sages<\/em> (<em data-start=\"1467\" data-end=\"1493\">Terme dei Sette Sapienti<\/em>) and the <em data-start=\"1503\" data-end=\"1528\">Caseggiato del Serapide<\/em>. This entire city block was developed starting in the Hadrianic period and appears to have been a residential quarter served by the nearby bath complex.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Auriga_2-1024x733.webp\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although no circus \u2014 the arena dedicated to chariot and horse races known as Ludi Circenses \u2014 has been found at Ostia, such competitions must have taken place here. This is evidenced by two frescoes depicting charioteers that once adorned a corridor wall in the Caseggiato degli Aurighi (&#8220;Charioteers\u2019 Building&#8221;).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":324,"parent":3283,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-3288","percorsi","type-percorsi","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/percorsi\/3288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/percorsi"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/percorsi"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/percorsi\/3283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}