Chariot Race Essay

Imagine someone wanting to win a competition so much they would curse an opponent or animal to gain the advantage in the event. In ancient Rome, the circus was a very popular competitive event where such curses existed. Roman chariot racing had the largest crowds, and existed for a long span of time (Kyle 292). The charioteers, as well as spectators, were superstitious, and sought supernatural powers for assistance in the outcome of the chariot race by inscribing curses on lead tablets against their opponents (296). The infamous chariot race, as evidenced by archaeological finds, reveals hundreds of defixiones found around the event sites or grave sites in Rome (Futrell 203). The defixiones contained a specific curse against a charioteer or …show more content…
The defixiones were made of lead, and included a message to the underworld for the use of their powers against opponents (Futrell 203). The curse tablets were buried in specific places to get closer to the spirits (203). The Roman circus was full of danger and violence, especially in the chariot race, and victory was of great importance to the Romans to demonstrate their power. The element of death appealed to the masses. The curse tablet may or may not name the author of the curse, but it did name the target in a direct binding spell. The author summoned the supernatural, and the curse varied in levels of violence or death to the intended target. Through source evidence of the archaeological findings of curse tablets throughout the Roman world, and more specifically Gager’s curse tablet #13, this essay will prove defixiones were a normal ritual used against charioteers, and reveal the level of violence the author of this curse was willing to inflict upon the opposing charioteer to obtain …show more content…
An advantage of this source is the detailed images that accompanied the inscribed curse. The drawing of the horse-spirit with a chariot whip and wheel leaves no doubt of the connection between chariot racing and curses. This particular curse tablet was found with fifty-six other tablets, suggesting the placement in this tomb brought success to several other curses. The majority of the curse tablets found with curse tablet #13 included similar drawings, again confirming the connection to chariot racing. The widespread archaeological findings throughout the Roman world confirm how far the belief system of curses spread over a long span of time and geography. John Gager’s Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World translate and analyze several curse tablets found among the circus sites and graveyards. The author of a curse tablet risked death for breaking Roman law, but archaeological evidence revealed that was a risk the charioteer or spectator was willing to take. The fact that legal decrees were put in place, and the willingness of the author of the curse tablet to defy Roman law by burying the curse tablet, undoubtedly prove the curse tablet was an essential part of Roman chariot racing. A disadvantage of the source is the author of the curse is unknown. A motive cannot be truly established, only speculation