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
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.
Acknowledgments Chronology Introduction 1. The Nika Riot: Thirty Thousand Dead in the Hippodrome 2. Chariot Races of the First Century BC and Earlier 3. The Circus Maximus 4. Preparation and Organization 5. A Day at the Circus Maximus 6. The Heroes of the Arena 7. The Spectators 8. Changes around the Racetrack 9. The Heroes of the Hippodrome 10. The Disappearance of Chariot Racing 11. Ben-Hur: Chariot Racing in the Movies List of Racetracks Notes Glossary Selected Bibliography Index