![]() In Rome, it was fashionable int he early Republic for aristocrats to race their own teams. In the Greek tradition, wealthy men effectively sponsored chariots in the Games, accruing great honour. According to archaeology, it was most likely borrowed Etruria - and the Etruscans borrowed from the Greeks. ![]() How important were the Blues and Greens in the early Empire - how prevalent, and how destructive?Ĭhariot racing, according to Roman legend, was introduced by Romulus. Now I am back again, but five centuries earlier. In this era, the violence from the racing factions spilled onto the streets: there were riots and massacres that make our football hooligans seem like benevolent pixies. I first became aware of the Blues and Greens when researching my first, dead-in-a-drawer novel set in 6th century Constantinople. This is an extraordinary tale of sporting rivalry. Along with their less celebrated rivals, the Reds and Whites, they provoked violent passions and the occasional riot in a tradition stretching from the late republic until the Twelfth Century AD. The Blues and Greens were two of the factions in chariot racing, who were supported by the populace in huge numbers. ![]() In Constantinople some 500 years later, Justinian and his wife Theodora were passionate Blues. What did Nero and Caligula have in common, besides being murderous megalomaniacs? Both were ardent Greens. ![]()
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