In shape the hippodrome was oblong, with one end semicircular and the other square; it thus resembled a U with a closed top.

A low wall called a spina ran most of the length of the stadium and divided the course. The spina was decorated with monuments and had sculptures that could be tilted or removed to keep spectators informed of the laps completed by the racers.

Because as many as 10 chariots raced at one time, the breadth of the course was sometimes as much as feet m ; the length was about to feet to m.

The largest hippodrome of the ancient world was that of Constantinople now Istanbul , which was begun under the Roman emperor Septimius Severus in ad and completed by Constantine in In this hippodrome much of the seating was supported on tiers of great vaults instead of the more usual embankment.

The stadium could house more than 60, spectators, and because of its ample accommodation, it was the scene not only of sports events but of imperial ceremonies, military triumphs, political demonstrations, and public executions.

Of the dozen or so monuments that originally adorned the spina of the Hippodrome, only an Egyptian obelisk, a memorial column, and the famous bronze serpent tripod from the Oracle at Delphi now remain on the site.

The Ottoman Turks used the Hippodrome as a source of building stone after capturing Constantinople in Hippodrome Article Media Additional Info. Home Visual Arts Architecture.

The top was adorned with a golden bowl supported by three serpent heads, although it appears that this was never brought to Constantinople.

The serpent heads and top third of the column were destroyed in All that remains of the Delphi Tripod today is the base, known as the "Serpentine Column".

Another emperor to adorn the Hippodrome was Theodosius the Great , who in [11] brought an obelisk from Egypt and erected it inside the racing track.

Theodosius had the obelisk cut into three pieces and brought to Constantinople. The top section survives, and it stands today where Theodosius placed it, on a marble pedestal.

The granite obelisk has survived nearly 3, years in astonishingly good condition. In the 10th century the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus built another obelisk at the other end of the Hippodrome.

It was originally covered with gilded bronze plaques, but they were sacked by Latin troops in the Fourth Crusade.

Seven statues were erected on the Spina of the Hippodrome in honour of Porphyrius the Charioteer , a legendary charioteer of the early 6th century who in his time raced for the two parties which were called "Greens" and "Blues".

None of these statues have survived. The bases of two of them have survived and are displayed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

The area is officially called Sultan Ahmet Square. It is maintained by the Turkish government. The surviving monuments of the Spina , the two obelisks and the Serpentine Column, now sit excavated in pits in a landscaped garden.

The German Fountain "The Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain" , an octagonal domed fountain in neo-Byzantine style , which was constructed by the German government in to mark the German Emperor Wilhelm II 's visit to Istanbul in , is located at the northern entrance to the Hippodrome area, right in front of the Blue Mosque.

In , Sir Charles Newton, the English archaeologist who excavated Halicarnassus and Cnidus , excavated the one surviving jaw of a snake from the Serpent Column.

In an area in front of the nearby Sultanahmet Mosque the Blue Mosque was bulldozed in order to install a public building, uncovering several rows of seats and some columns from the Hippodrome.

Investigation did not continue further, but the seats and columns were removed and can now be seen in Istanbul's museums. It is possible that much more of the Hippodrome's remains still lie beneath the parkland of Sultanahmet.

The Hippodrome was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish lira banknotes of — Capital with protomes of pegasi , probably 6th-century, possibly from the kathisma.

Procession of the guilds in front of the Sultan in the Hippodrome, Ottoman miniature from the Surname-i Vehbi Watercolour of the Hippodrome's spina and Hagia Sophia from a manuscript in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Not to be confused with the Covered Hippodrome , a nearby structure belonging to the Great Palace.

Main article: Serpent Column. Main article: Obelisk of Theodosius. Main article: Walled Obelisk. The four bronze horses that used to be in the Hippodrome, today in Venice.

Jeffreys et al. The term is used in the modern French language and some others, with the meaning of "horse racecourse".

Hence, some present-day horse-racing tracks also include the word "hippodrome" [1] in their names, such as the Hippodrome de Vincennes and the Central Moscow Hippodrome.

The Greek hippodrome was similar to the Roman version, the circus. The hippodrome was not a Roman amphitheatre , which was used for spectator sports, games, and displays, or a Greek or Roman semicircular theatre 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 horses and chariots.

At both ends of the hippodrome were posts termai 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.

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