hippodrome

In ancient Greece, a building used for chariot and horse racing (corresponding to the Roman circus). It was usually 180–215 m/196–235 yd long and about 120 m/130 yd wide, semicircular at one end and square at the other. Tiers of seats for spectators enclosed the whole area except the square end, which was the starting and finishing point. Down the centre ran a division, at the extremities of which the chariots turned, a manoeuvre requiring exceptional skill.

The largest hippodrome of antiquity was in Constantinople, built between AD 203 and 330. It became a centre of political life and political faction. Supporters of the several colours under which the chariots raced formed themselves into opposing parties, often with violent consequences. Remains of this structure can still be seen: its ornaments included an Egyptian obelisk, the serpent tripod from Delphi, and the bronze horses now on the facade of St Mark's Basilica in Venice.