Even by that time, the arena had suffered damaged due to natural events such as lightning and earthquakes. By the 20th century ⅔ of the colosseum had been destroyed by Weather, vandalism and natural disasters. The colosseum lost its marble seats, one of the major 5 tunnels, and part of the wall on the outside. Beginning in the 18th century, various popes sought to conserve the arena as a sacred Christian site, though it is in fact uncertain whether early Christian martyrs met their fate in the Colosseum, as has been …show more content…
The money didn't come without a price, though. Chariot racing was a dangerous sport that could bring serious injury or even death to both the charioteer and the horses themselves. Experienced charioteers could accumulate a bunch of money over their careers, however. Gaius Diocles earned 35,863,120 sesterces in prize money. In today’s money, that levels out to about $15 billion. Chariot Races were dangerous and must have been terrifying. The race started when the Emperor dropped a cloth. The winning tactic was to drive as close as possible to the spine of the circuit forcing other drivers out. The team that was on the inside turning the end posts had an advantage. This inevitably led to collisions as rivals crashed or tried to force each other out.
Drivers had to race with the reins wrapped tight around their wrists, which meant that if a chariot toppled or collapsed, the driver had to choose between being dragged to death or cutting himself free and taking his chances with the horses following behind. Charioteers carried a knife for this purpose. Other Charioteers tried to crash other chariots and hurt the horses to win the race. This was dangerous for everyone, because the chariots were made of wood with no protection, since they were made for