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6%OFFFik Meijer - Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire - 9780801896972 - V9780801896972
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Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire

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Description for Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire Hardback. From the length of the track and the need to ride small horses, to the risks, techniques, and training methods involved in racing, Meijer recreates ancient Rome's favorite pastime in impressive detail. Translator(s): Waters, Liz. Num Pages: 208 pages, 24, 19 black & white halftones, 3 black & white line drawings, 2 maps. BIC Classification: HBLA1; KNSP; WSNB. Category: (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 237 x 160 x 20. Weight in Grams: 420.
A massive crowd of people, cloaked in the colors of their beloved athletes, slowly fill a 150,000-seat arena to cheer on their favorite teams. Athletes enter the stadium amid great pomp and circumstance as opposing fans hurl insults at one another and place bets on the day's outcome. Although this familiar scene might describe a contemporary football game, it also portrays a day at the chariot races in ancient Rome, where racers were the sports stars of the ancient world. Following close on the heels of his successful book on gladiators, Fik Meijer reveals all there is to know about chariot racing in the Roman Empire. After recounting the Nika riot of 532 AD-where tens of thousands of people were killed after a politically heated tournament of races-Meijer reviews the historical background, organization, and popularity of these games. He profiles the sport's famous teams, jockeys, and horses and discusses how the whole business fed into the strategy of Juvenal's "bread and circuses" to keep the citizenry happy. Expertly translated by Liz Waters, Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire also examines the political importance of these spectacles, where patricians and plebeians alike filled the stadiums. Meijer sees these contests not so much as an opiate for the people but as a political barometer: the Circus Maximus was the only place in the Empire where the supreme leader was confronted with the approval or disapproval of his people. Meijer makes use of scarce and obscure sources in this lively narrative, describing an exciting race with such enthusiasm readers will feel they are in the stands themselves. From the length of the track and the need to ride small horses, to the risks, techniques, and training methods involved in racing, Meijer recreates ancient Rome's favorite pastime in impressive detail.

Product Details

Format
Hardback
Publication date
2010
Publisher
Johns Hopkins University Press United States
Number of pages
208
Condition
New
Number of Pages
208
Place of Publication
Baltimore, MD, United States
ISBN
9780801896972
SKU
V9780801896972
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
Ref
99-50

About Fik Meijer
Fik Meijer is a professor of ancient history at the University of Amsterdam and author of A Sideways Look at Antiquity, St. Paul's Voyage to Rome, Emperors Don't Die in Bed, and Gladiators.

Reviews for Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire
Fans of Ben Hur will find this very readable book entertaining and informative... It is an in-your-seat, in-your-face ancient history worthy of any bookshelf.
David Lee Poremba Past In Review 2010 Readers will find an excellent overview of knowledge... The material is presented in a way which both interested lay people and undergraduate students will readily digest.
John D. Muccigrosso Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2010 This is definitely a 'must have' book for your library. The Lone Star 2010

Goodreads reviews for Chariot Racing in the Roman Empire


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