HIST 1250 lecture 9 factions, fanatics, and chariot racing in East Rome

the changing Roman Empire

The Roman Empire endured for many centuries as the dominant power in the Mediterranean. Over time, however, it changed and evolved.
• In the fourth century CE, the Romans experienced two major changes. Firstly, after the emperor Constantine (r.306-337) they converted to Christianity, which was adopted as the official religion of Empire in the 380s.
• Secondly, after the year 395, the Roman Empire split into two, a Western half and an Eastern half, which would be ruled independently from then on.

Christianity and Sports culture

The conversion to Christianity had important knock-on effects for ancient sporting culture. As we have seen, the vast majority of classical athletic events had some sort of connection to traditional religion, especially major festivals.
• The Panhellenic Games for example had each been held at a cult site for a different Olympian god, and all were attached to pagan festivals. With the end of those festivals and cult sites, the Games too came to an end, dying out in the fourth century.
• Meanwhile, Christian disapproval of public nudity led to the decline of the Gymnasium and its associated athletic culture in the East, while blood sports began to fade from popularity everywhere. Classical Sports Culture was changing significantly along with the rest of the Graeco-Roman world.

decline and fall

the Western half of the Roman Empire fell out of existence in the fifth century CE, the event traditionally known as the ‘Fall of the Roman Empire’.
• When it did, the remaining vestiges of classical sports culture faded with it. The new Germanic Kingdoms that replaced the Empire lacked the core features of ancient society. They did not embrace urban competition, nor did they build major arenas and monuments.
• From the year 500 CE or so then, Graeco-Roman Sports Culture effectively ceased to exist in the Western Mediterranean.

the East endures

However the same pattern did not play out in the East. The Eastern Roman Empire survived for over a thousand years after the decline of the West.
• Its capital was at Constantinople (Modern Istanbul), the city that had been refounded by the emperor Constantine as the ‘New Rome’. Constantinople grew to become a sprawling metropolis and the largest city in the world with a population of half a million.
• After 500 CE, it was the Empire of East Rome (Sometimes called Byzantium) which would provide the final outpost of Classical Sports Culture.

the survival of sports

East Rome was a continuation of the Roman Empire, but it was also a profoundly Christian Empire. The Gymnasium remained gone, as did the Gladiatorial Games. Even the Beast-Hunts became rare.
• Yet Classical Sporting Culture endured in the form of the oldest and most distinguished sport of all, one which could be dated all the way back to Homer: Chariot Racing.
• And with only one major sport left to focus on, the East Romans became fanatical about it.

the hippodrome

Just like the Circus Maximus in Rome, the Constantinopolitan _____ was built into the side of the Imperial Palace so that the emperor could appear before his people.
• The Hippodrome, which held up to 100,000 people (20% of the city population) was one of the new capital’s most important public spaces, regularly hosting the Chariot Races which East Romans obsessed over.
• Chariot-racing was thus more central to public life in East Rome than any single sport had been in any prior ancient city

the athlete as celebrity

With the prominence of chariot-racing in East Rome, it is no surprise that the most successful racers became cult figures and celebrities in their own right.
• One such figure was Porphyrios, an especially well-documented charioteer of the sixth century. In a career that spanned forty years, Porphyrios raced around the empire, enjoying acclaim as he won nearly every race. Dozens of statues were erected of him, the bases of which survive to this day. Much of this recalled Classical Greek athletic culture.
• At the peak of his success, it has been said that Porphyrios was the second most famous man in the Empire after only the emperor.

the circus factions

But for all the success of celebrity racers, it was not just as individuals that charioteers became famous. Instead, they came to form part of set teams; the unique organizations called the Circus Factions.
• The Factions emerged as a way of organizing Chariot Races at East Rome. Four Factions existed in all, each named after colours. The two dominant Factions were the Blues and the Greens, along with the much smaller Reds and the Whites.
• The four Factions were institutions which consisted of two parts:
(1) Sports Teams
(2) Fan Clubs

factions as sport teams

On one level, the Factions operated as teams. They owned chariots and horses and had their own budgets and staff for maintenance (e.g. vets, trainers, stables, food). They provided a team to compete in every race.
• They also hired drivers: the actual ‘athletes’. Some Chariot Racers were contracted on a long term basis to one Faction or another, while others operated as ‘Free Agents’ and might only sign up before a particular race.
• During the Races, the chariot belonging to one Faction would wear their colour and ‘represent’ the Faction. Regardless of who the driver was or who the horses were, there was basic continuity in the identity of the teams.

faction members as fanatics

But the Factions did not only hire the actual personnel for the races. They also included an organized group of supporters: a fan club.
• The ’Fan Club’ section of the Factions tended to be made up of the most ardent and passionate supporters of the team. Their members are sometimes called ‘partisans’.
• Some were formally on the Faction payroll, paid to cheer them on. However most were simply sports fans who became committed to cheering on one team or another. They were known for their obsessive dedication.

Green vs Blue

As we will see next week, the Factions developed an intense rivalry
with one another, especially the Greens and Blues. Fights were common, sometimes spiralling into full-blown riots.
• East Romans came to identify strongly with one Faction or another. From their beginnings in Constantinople, the Factions spread across the East Roman Empire, so that every city had a ‘branch’ of the four colours competing in all their races.
• This loyalty ran so deep that Prokopios, the most important East Roman historian, famously declared that “All the inhabitants of every city are divided into the Greens and the Blues”

Ancient Ultras

In their obsessive dedication to their teams, the Factions pre- empted modern sports obsessives like those heavily associated with football/soccer in Europe and Latin America, often called ‘Ultras’ (or, when committing violence, ‘hooligans’).
• Like modern Ultras, Faction partisans were notorious among broader East Roman Society for their violence, alcoholism, and alleged disregard for all outsiders. They also became heavily involved in gang activity, clashing with authorities.
• Virtually every surviving ancient source to discuss the Factions expresses loathing for their members – yet they remained a major and active force in East Roman urban life.

factions and Roman politics

In fact, the Circus Factions were so influential and popular that the emperors themselves had a complex relationship with them.
• East Roman emperors were actually expected to pick a favourite Faction, like a modern politician supporting a sports team. This ’proved’ that they were men of the people, in touch with their populace. Some emperors were genuinely fans of the Races; others only pretended to be, but all had to at least make a public effort.
• In the sixth century, the imperial prince Justinian would become an active sponsor of the Blues, using his support for the team to build street backing for his ultimate succession. This would ultimately backfire however, as we will see next time.