by Frank Cotolo

I was 9 when I became enthralled by the chariot-racing scene in the 1959 movie Ben-Hur. That Christmas I got a Ben-Hur Playset. It included four durable miniature chariots each pulled by four plastic steeds and four action-figure charioteers. They were my favorite features. With them I created chariot races on my living room rug based on the film’s glorious version of chariot races in a spectacular Roman amphitheater.

Ben-Hur was based upon the book written by Lew Wallace, who — according to David Álvarez (National Geographic History) — “meticulously researched classic texts to present chariot racing as accurately as possible.”

Wallace wrote, “These latter days tame in pastime and dull in sports have scarcely anything to compare to the spectacle [of chariot racing]… See the chariots, light of wheel and see the drivers [and the team of horses] chosen for beauty as well as speed.”

Years after I reigned over my broadloom playset racetrack, I became aware of the undeniable resemblance chariot racing has to modern harness racing. Deep dives into the history of standardbred racing fired my interest in the origins of chariot racing and that led me to Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known as Caligula.

From 37 to 41 AD, he ruled the greatest empire in the world. And he was only 24. Caligula became known for his unrestrained indulgence in sensual pleasures. Among a long list of them was his intense emotion for chariot racing. The popularity of chariot racing was enormous; more popular than gladiator fights. His genuine fancy for the sport was essential to keeping the fans enveloped in its splendor. And his participation in the sport made a personal connection with the public he governed.

Rome historian Corey Bennet said Caligula went to all the race meets. He “hooted and hollered with the crowd and placed vast amounts of bets. He visited the stables and rewarded the charioteers. He took professional horse racing in Rome to the next level and the people loved him for it. But Caligula was not content to be the greatest fan. He wanted to participate.”

The young emperor put thousands of people to work building a humungous new racetrack. When it opened, he increased the standard 12-races-a-day program to 24 races a program. And he decreed the standard seasonal festivals be obligated to hold chariot raced in their programs.

And then there was his stallion Incitatus. The horse had its own servants and was paraded around in a decorated harness. “The more Caligula spent on horse racing the more the people loved him,” historian Bennet said. Some scholars dispute the existence of Incitatus. They say the horse was nothing more than as a promotional device. A kind of mascot for the sport. If that is true then creating Incitatus is proof of Caligula’s campaign to successfully keep his horse-racing fans excited and growing in numbers.

There is no denying that the dangerous factors of chariot racing were strong elements of its popularity. Ambiguous rules were not contested and major infractions — as were evident in the Ben-Hur book and movie racing scenes — resulted in severe injuries and deaths. Racehorse trainers used possible performance enhancers to give their equine teams an edge. Some touted experiments included using dried figs and wine potions and even strychnine.

Caligula’s chariot racing enterprise was a product of his hubris and a number of exaggerated ingredients. But modern-day harness racing shares one particular element with Caligula’s wild engagement with chariot racing and promotional enthusiasm. In Part 2, I will explain how the sport today can sensationalize that element.