The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

stadium for horse racing and

chariot racing Chariot racing ( grc-gre, ἁρματοδρομία, harmatodromia, la, ludi circenses) was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine sports. In Greece, chariot racing played an essential role in aristocratic funeral games fro ...

. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used in the modern

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...

and some others, with the meaning of "horse racecourse". Hence, some present-day horse-racing tracks also include the word "hippodrome" in their names, such as the

Hippodrome de Vincennes Hippodrome de Vincennes is a horse racing track located in Paris, France. It has a capacity of 80,000. It was created in 1863 and rebuilt in 1879, after being destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War. It has been used for concerts as well, host ...

and the Central Moscow Hippodrome. In the

English-speaking world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

the term is occasionally used for theatres.

Overview

The Greek hippodrome was similar to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

version, the

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

. (The hippodrome was not a Roman amphitheatre, which was used for spectator sports, executions, and displays, or a Greek or

semicircular amphitheater used for theatrical performances.) The Greek hippodrome was usually set out on the slope of a hill, and the ground taken from one side served to form the embankment on the other side. One end of the hippodrome was semicircular, and the other end square with an extensive portico, in front of which, at a lower level, were the stalls for the

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

s and chariots. At both ends of the hippodrome were posts (Greek ''termata'') that the chariots turned around. This was the most dangerous part of the track, and the Greeks put an altar to Taraxippus (disturber of horses) there to show the spot where many chariots wrecked. Οne large ancient hippodrome was the Hippodrome of Constantinople, built between AD 203 and 330. in the

''Hippodrome'' is occasionally used in the names of theatres, after the Hippodrome which opened in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". In the 20th Century, the term ''

Aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publi ...

'' was created, modeled on ''Hippodrome''.

List of Greek hippodromes

* Delos * Delphi * Isthmia *

Lageion The Lageion ( Greek:Λαγεῖον, translit: Layeῖon) also known as the Hippodrome of Alexandria, was a hippodrome situated in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, below the Serapeum. It is named after the founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egyp ...

Mount Lykaion Mount Lykaion ( grc, Λύκαιον ὄρος, ''Lýkaion Óros''; la, Mons Lycaeus) is a mountain in Arcadia, Greece. Lykaion has two peaks: ''Stefani'' to the north and St. Ilias (, ''Agios Īlías'') to the south where the altar of Zeus is ...

* Nemea * Olympia

List of Roman hippodromes

Aphrodisias Aphrodisias (; grc, Ἀφροδισιάς, Aphrodisiás) was a small ancient Greek Hellenistic city in the historic Caria cultural region of western Anatolia, Turkey. It is located near the modern village of Geyre, about east/inland from t ...

* Caesarea Maritima *

Gerasa Jerash ( ar, جرش ''Ǧaraš''; grc, Γέρασα ''Gérasa'') is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate, and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located north of the capital cit ...

Hippodrome of Berytus The hippodrome of Berytus was a circus in the Roman colony of Berytus (modern-day Beirut). It is one of two hippodromes in Beirut. History The hippodrome was built close to the port and forum of Berytus (modern Beirut). It was one of the larges ...

* Hippodrome of Constantinople * Hippodrome of Thessalonica *

Tyre Hippodrome The Tyre Hippodrome is a UNESCO World Heritage site of the city of Tyre in south Lebanon dating back to the Second century CE The Expositio, a description of the world written in the second half of the fourth century by an unknown writer ab ...

* Miróbriga (Mirobriga Celticorum) * Roman circus of Mérida * Roman Stadium of Philippopolis

List of modern horse-racing venues

References

“Hippodrome of Constantinople.” Hippodrome Of Constantinople - Istanbul Tour Studio – Istanbul Guide, https://istanbultourstudio.com/things-to-do/hippodrome-of-constantinople./ref> {{Authority control Ancient chariot racing Ancient Greek buildings and structures Sport in ancient Greece Sports venues by type Harness racing

Overview

List of Greek hippodromes

List of Roman hippodromes

List of modern horse-racing venues

See also

References