Mosaic of Chariot Racing

Racing four-horse chariots was the most popular (and most expensive) sport in the Roman Empire. This mosaic, a picture made from thousands of tiny colored tiles put together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, shows a driver holding a branch signifying that he has just won a big race. Two attendants or race officials are in the background. Hundreds of thousands of spectators attended the largest races at the Circus Maximus in Rome, but many cities across the empire had tracks. Romans loved the races’ action and potential violence, as chariots swerved at top speed around and around the tight turns of the track and sometimes collided in bloody accidents. (Museo Arqueologico Nacional, Madrid, Spain / De Agostini Picture Library / Gianni Dagli Orti / Bridgeman Images.)