SPORTS IN ROME

BOXING

• One of the most popular sports in Ancient Rome.
• Gloves made of ox-hides.
• Not allowed to grab or hold one another.
• Couldn't use feet to make opponent fall.
• No set time for the rounds.
• Right arm was used for fighting and left for defending.

CHARIOT RACING

• A similar sport to NASCAR Racing.
• Took place in a Circus Maximus (giant oval stadium)
• Drivers would most likely be slaves.
• Match began with as many as 12 chariots.
• The chariots were made as light as possible. Which made it very dangerous for the drivers.
• Very expensive sport.
• Winners won a lot of money.

GLADIATOR BATTLES

• The most brutal and bloodiest sports of Ancient Rome.
• Lasted around 10-15 minutes
• Average gladiator had a lifespan of 20-30 years!
• One rule: fight until opposition couldn't fight back.
• If the loser did not die it was in the arms of the emperor. If he gave the thumbs up you could live if thumbs down an official would finish them off with a wooden mallet.
• We're considered sport celebrities if they won.
• Some battles were even women until they got banned from doing them.
• Sometimes fought wild animals.

SWIMMING

• The most favorite and enjoyed activities for boys in Ancient Rome.
• Practiced in the Tiber River.
• "Most Roman baths were also equipped with plunge pools, in which swimming was enjoyed."
• Some accounts of women swimming in Ancient Roman times.

HORSEBACK RIDING

• "Every Roman was expected to be a good equestrian, (a rider or performer on horseback) so horseback riding was a preferred activity of Roman boys from a young age. "

RUNNING

• One of the favorite activities in Ancient Rome.
• Boys competed in footraces.

HUNTING/FISHING

• Oldest and most popular activity.
• Boys would accompany their fathers on hunting expeditions in order to teach them marksmanship.
• "Fishing was among the favorite pastimes."

BALL GAMES

• Handball
• Soccer
• Field hockey
• Catch games
• Dodge ball

BOARD GAMES

• Dice (Tesserae)
• Knucklebones (Tali or Tropa)
• Roman chess (Latrunculi)
• Roman checkers (Calculi)
• Tic-tac-toe (Terni Lapilli)
• Roman backgammon (Tabula)

SOURCES

• Tribunes and Triumphs
• Crystalinks
• Ancient history