Myron: They are loud and it is good to see all these people united as one here for this extravaganza. Lets pray and hope that everyone keeps to the sacred Truce for everyone safety. Especially the charioteers for they have trained for a whole year for this one but brilliant event. They would have been under strict training ten month in advance of the Games and then one month before they would be on a very strict diet but today we will see who's training has paid off. I know this race will be phenomenal and I can not tell you who is likely to win because the competion is so tight. Who's your favourite to win the chariot race, Phayllos?
Phayllos: Well that's a tough one to answer…but I would have to say my favourite to win is Orestes. He is a very skilled charioteer…
Myron: I'm very sorry to interrupt but the charioteers are making their way out on their chariots pulled by their four horses. The middle pair of horses are called zygioi and are harnessed to a yoke, which was then fastened to a pole and tightened by a strap to the chariot's rim. The outer pair of horses are trace-horses and are called seiraphoroi. The charioteers are wearing the white robes, which are their traditional dress. The crowds of people our shouting the names of their favourite charioteer to win. I think it's time for the charioteers to enter their assigned stall of the starting apparatus. Everyone enters fine all except Orestes his horses seem a little unsettled. Finally his horses settle and now the race can begin. The crowd is silent as they wait anxiously for the race to start. The nail-biting seconds seem like minutes. The sound of the bronze trumpet blares, they're off and the crowd goes wild.
Phayllos: Each man is urging his own horse on, screaming at them to go faster. I can hear the chariots rattling as they go over each bump on the track but I can not see the leader at the moment due to al the dust, which has suddenly appeared. The sound of the galloping horses and the wooden chariots clashing against wooden chariots fill the Hippodrome. The leader of the race is Orestes who is closely followed by Antilachos and Menelaos both other favourites to win. They will all have to face the most hazardous part of the course, the turn but before that there is something even more terrifying the Taraxippos which is the horse- terroriser which is just before the turning post. However it must not be working today because everyone has pasted it safety. Now they come to the turn, Orestes first, everybody makes it around the first bend. Just imagine if someone went down on the first turn, just imagine the heart ache that charioteer will suffer for he trained the year in advance and to have his dreams and goal taken away from him because of that one turn. As the go along the straight part of the track they build up speed with the crowd getting louder as they go faster.
Myron: For the people at home who do not know what the horse terroriser is then I will explain. At the edge of the South Back is a circular altar, which strikes fear and panic into the horses. There are many different beliefs about the horse-terroriser but I belief that Alkathous who wanted to marry Hippodameia was killed in a chariot race by her father Oinomaos. As a result of this he became an evil spirit and jealous of all the riders on the track. Although there are other horse-terroriser I think that this one here the still the most to fear. This is why charioteers pray to Poseidon the patron god of horses to keep them safe.
Phayllos: Well thank you Myron but whilst telling us that story the charioteers have been around the first lap and now are on near to the end of their lap. This is really fast pace driving each man whipping his horse to go quicker. The sounds of the whip cracking against the horse back echoes throughout the Hippodrome. As they come up to the horse-terroriser again will everyone make it past safely? They pass it…everyone except Diomedes he goes down, his horses seem to be startled by something. Do you think that it was the horse-terroriser, Myron?
Myron: Of course I do some people just say it is the sun which shines directly into the eyes of the horses and this is what startles them not the horse-terroriser itself. How can people say this when Diomedes' horses seem in panic and fear not just seem to be startled!
Phayllos Very true Myron. Diomedes seems to be fine but somebody better clear the way before the rest come back around otherwise there will be more carnage. This is not the end of the suspense as they still have to make that dreaded turn again Orestes is still in the lead he makes the turn cleanly keeping his inner trace-horse slightly back whilst his outer trace-horse stays slightly in front. This is a masterful piece of driving by him and because of this he is still in the lead. Now they are all on the straight again but Orestes horses seem slightly slower than Menelaos' horses. As these two go neck and neck Menelaos' horse suddenly seem to fly past Orestes. This shows one can be as skilled as a charioteer like Orestes but can still lose if him horses are not of the same skill. So now this order of the four in front are Menelaos, Orestes, Antilachos and then Eumelos and then the rest of the charioteer crowded together at the back. Each of them must be hurting as they go over each bump on the track and it is only the fourth lap. Each of their wooden chariots are brightly coloured and Orestes has his decorated with bronze and silver. This could be the reason why he seems slower than the others as his chariot is heavier than the others, weighted down by all that bronze. Compared to the others chariots, which are all, made out of wood and painted brightly they may not be elaborate but they are without a doubt lighter than Orestes'. They are just simply a seat for the driver with an open framework at the back and sides. They charioteer are now on their fifth lap that mean only two laps to go.
Myron: Now Menelaos come to his first turn as the leader but his chariot flies up into the air but do not worry listeners he is still on his chariot. However I don't know what just happened? It could have been unevenness in the track or could it have been the Alkathous' spirit jealous of the leader of the race or could it have been a bit of wooden from Diomedes accident earlier? Although Menelaos is still on his chariot he has lost his focus on making the turn, he going into sharp surly his chariot will overturn and oh no it does. Menelaos is flung to the ground and so are his horses. I can't see Menelaos that must mean that he is under all four horses. Lets hope that he makes it out alive. That mistake just cost him the race and now he is out of it. Orestes has slipped through with his display of skill at the turning post making sure that he kept his left-hand horses hard to the turning post. He came so close to it that I am surprised that he did not hit it. As Orestes, Antilachos and Eumelos race along the straight. People who have come on to the track are trying to move the horses off of Menelaos. I can see his hand and they have pulled him out and onto a stretcher. They better hurry up otherwise those bits of shattered wood can cause another accident. Whist they do this Orestes is in the lead and is making his way to the next turn, he makes then perfectly and so do the others behind him. Antilachos and Eumelos are battling it out for the second place, but their efforts will mean enough if they do not come first. For it is only the first place winner that has the glory.
Phayllos: Well all the charioteers are making their way to the point where Menelaos had his terrible crash. The track has been cleared but will this make the charioteers unsettled we will have to wait and see. The three out in front are Orestes, Antilachos and Eumelos with the rest of the crowd of the charioteers way behind them. All make it clear through the turn but it seems that they were slightly slower than usually, as they seemed very cautious around that bend. As they charge down the straight in the three charioteers out in front are all abreast. In the next turn will Orestes keep up his skill of turning the bend? We will soon find out, he seems to be going too fast be make this turn I think he must be feeling the pressure. He almost gets around the corner but he slackened his reins and oh no Orestes is down on the last lap. Could this be any worst for him? Throughout the whole of the race he has shown all his skill and just one little mistake can take away his dream of victory. No but wait he seems to be caught in his reins he tries to get free as his body is dragged along. His wheel has smashed and his horses are out of control running wild through the course. People try to run on the track to calm them down someone gets hold of one of the horses but as there are four of them he can't hold them for very long. Now Orestes is trying to free himself with a knife and he cuts through the reins and sets himself free. I hope he is not seriously injured. I can not believe he crashed on the last lap!
Myron: Nor can I but on the last lap the two who are in front of all the rest are Antilachos and Eumelos, either one could win they are so close together. I hope this does not end in disaster as well, as you know even the more skilful of drivers can fall and anything can happen in this race. As they come to the last turn both their chariots clash and the dust flies up but Antilachos is in the lead. He races to the finish line and wins barely in front of Eumelos.
Phayllos: What an exciting race that was! I don't think there will be anything like this race again. Antilachos is the champion and will receive the victory ribbon around his head, arms and legs. The owner will be very proud of him and the owner of the chariot teams will receive the coveted Olympic crown at the prize giving on day five and will receive all the glory. For the charioteer was hired to compete in this extremely hazardous race.
Myron: Well I am sad to say it's time for us to end this transmission. We will return on day five to commentate on the prize giving and we will update you on the conditions of the fallen charioteers today. So it goodbye from me.
Phayllos: And it's goodbye from me also.
Evidence Page
1.
A vase painting showing a four-horse chariot with the charioteer wearing the long white robes which was the traditional dress.
2.
"On one of the turning-posts is a bronze portrait of Hippodameia holding a ribbon to tie on Pelop's head as the winner."
Pausanias' Description of Greece VI
3.
"The starting place is shaped like the prow of a ship, the beak being turned towards the course…Each side of the starting place is more than four hundred feet long, and in each of the sides, stalls are built. These are assigned to competitors by lot. In front of the chariots or race-horses stretches a rope as a barrier…The first ropes to be let go are those at the furthest ends of the prow, and the horses stationed here are the first off. Away they go until they come neck and neck with the chariots that have drawn the second stations. Then the ropes at the second stations are released. And so it runs on till all the chariots are abreast of each other at the beak of the prow."
Pausanias' Descriptions of Greece VI
4.
"There are enough irksome and troublesome things in life; aren't just as bad at the Olympic Games? Aren't you scorched there by the fierce heat? Aren't you crushed in the crowd?…Aren't you bothered by the noise, the din and other nuisances? But it seems to me that you are well able to bear and indeed gladly endure all this, when you think of the gripping spectacles that you will see."
Epictetus, first-second century AD
Dissertations I
5.
"At each turn of the lap, Orestes reined in his inner trace-horse and gave the outer its head,"
Sophokles, fifth century BC
Elektra 698-760
6.
"…then, at the sound of the bronze trumpet, off they started, all shouting to their horses and urging them on with the reins. The clatter of the rattling chariots filled the whole arena, and the dust flew up as they sped along in a dense mass, each driver goading his team unmercifully in his efforts to draw clear of the rival axles and panting steeds, whose steaming breath and sweat drenched every bending back and flying wheel together."
Sophokles, fifth century BC
Elektra 698-760
7.
"…the HORSE SCARER. The shape is like a circular altar, and as horses gallop past it they suffer extreme panic from no visible cause, the panic puts them into confusion, the chariots are smashed up and the drivers are injured. There are different Greek beliefs about the Horse-scarer…Alkathous son of Porthaon…he got his ration of earth here when he was killed by Oinomaos for wanting to marry Hippodameia: and because he was unlucky on the race-course he became a malicious daemonic spirit, jealous of the riders on it…the Horse scarer at Olympia is a much worse panicker of horses."
Pausanias' Description of Greece VI
8.
Poseidon was lord of the sea, but here the horse's head in his right hand identifies him in another capacity, as patron god of horses. Charioteers and jockeys would offer prayers and sacrifices to him before competing.
Roman bronze statuette. Height 16.9 cm
9.
"But at the last he misjudged the turn, slackened his left rein before the horse was safely round the bend, and so struck the post. The hub was smashed across, and he was hurled over the rail entangled in the reins, and as he fell his horses ran wild across the course."
Sophokles, fifth century BC
Elektra 698-760
10.
A figure of Victory personified flies down to crown the victor in a four-horse chariot-race. Below is a panoply or set of armour - a shield, breast -plate, greaves and crested helmet - which was probably the prize at these particular games. Silver coin from Syracuse, fourth century BC.
BMC Coins, Syracuse 176.
