Italiano 
English At that time, Rome had about 1 million inhabitants. The games were a real spectacle, primarily aimed at entertaining the people, and the biggest show an emperor could offer the people was the chariot race. These events were always preceded by grand inaugurations, and the excitement among the crowd was palpable. Even children could participate in these events as long as they were accompanied by their parents.
Rome is the largest city in the world, and the Circus Maximus, situated between the Aventine and Palatine hills, is by far the largest structure in the empire. The imperial box was directly accessible from the emperor's palace. The seating capacity was over 150,000 people.
A tombstone that has come down to us reveals the fame of this charioteer. It is preserved in the Lapidary Museum of Urbino. The upper part of the inscriptions bears the name of the deceased: Flavius Abascanti, and the tomb was commissioned by his wife, Flavia Hesperis. Just below, a scene of a charioteer with his four horses is depicted. It is engraved the name of the charioteer, Scorpus, and his four horses: Ingenyo, Admeto, Passerino, Atmeto.
A Roman bureaucrat is thus commemorated by his wife with a sports champion of his days.
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il contratto giuridico dei gladiatori
Il lanista era l'imprenditore dei gladiatori, si procurava i combattenti e quello che serviva per il loro addestramento
The charioteers usually came from the lowest classes, and Scorpus himself was a slave. Roman society was based on slavery, and the slave market was crucial to the daily life. It is estimated that a quarter of the population were slaves.
The names of free Roman citizens consisted of 3 parts, while if someone had only one name, it meant they were a slave. An inscription found on the tomb of Diocles, another competitor of his time, reveals how many races Scorpus won. Names of champions from his era are listed, with a special mention for Flavius Scorpus, winner of 2048 races.
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il Circo Massimo. Creazione di Traiano per creare consenso nel popolo
Lungo più di mezzo chilometro Largo quasi 140 metri e con una capienza di 250000 spettatori il Circo Massimo era destinato agli spettacoli più grandiosi
Slaves were considered property and had no rights. However, the Roman system gave them the chance to earn their freedom. Becoming a charioteer was sought after by slaves because they could buy their freedom or at least escape the anonymity of the common slave. Being a charioteer was a dangerous job, but there were always slaves willing to try.
Many charioteers arrived in Rome, but few managed to race in the Circus Maximus, the most coveted stage. Here, there were four teams, each named after a color:
- blue team
- green team
- red team
- white team
The races with two-horse chariots were much faster but considered minor races. People went crazy for the races with four-horse chariots. Driving four horses was much more difficult. Just before the race, the so-called sprinklers would wet the track to reduce the dust kicked up by the horses. The race was held at an average speed of 40 km/h, but fairness was not part of the competition. The charioteers cut each other off, and accidents usually happened at the turns, and it was not rare for competitors to be trampled after falling. It was unusual for everyone to finish the race.
The winner received 15 sacks of gold. Considering that a Roman earned about 1000 sesterces a year, it is easy to imagine how much envy was generated by winning 15,000 sesterces in a single competition. With all the races won and the large amount of money earned, Scorpus easily bought his freedom.
At the age of 27, in one of the many races, he tragically collided with death, something he had avoided so many times before. He died in the sand of the arena.
