Circus: Did you mean...?

Chariot racing was very big business in ancient Rome. There was a whole industry built around the factions, the four professional stables known by their team colour – Blue, Green, Red, and White –, providing all that...

Illustration of the Circus Maximus in Rome, as it might have appeared in Antiquity by Rocío Espin. Courtesy of Ancient History Magazine / Karwansaray Publishers.

Artist's impression of the Circus Maximus in ancient Rome, with a chariot race going on.

A releif showing a quadriga race in the Cricus Maximus, Rome (2-3rd century); Trinci Palace, Foligno, Italy. The starting gates can be seen on the far left. The upper left-hand corner shows the magistrate who...

Mosaic depicting a quadriga of the factio prasina (‘the Greens,’ representing the spring), 3rd century CE, from Rome. (National Archaeological Museum of Spain, Madrid) The green team is victorious. Their admired steeds...

This handscroll was created c. 1271 - 1644 CE in the style of Zhao Yong (1289 – c. after 1360 CE)by an unidentified Chinese artist. The scroll was created during either the Yuan Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty. Ink and color on silk...

If there was one thing the Roman people loved it was spectacle and the opportunity of escapism offered by weird and wonderful public shows which assaulted the senses and ratcheted up the emotions. Roman rulers...

Solomon Northup (circa 1807/1808 to circa 1857/1864) was a free-born African American living in New York State when he was kidnapped in 1841 and sold into slavery. Northup was held in bondage for 12 years before...

Almost 700 years of continuous Roman occupation have left impressive traces in the Spanish landscape. Spain was then known as 'Hispania' and is now a fascinating location for the archaeological traveller. The...

Museums have been around much longer than one might think, but in the ancient world, they were principally institutions of research and learning rather than places to display artworks and artefacts, even if they...