Pantomimes formed the staple amusement of the Roman
theater. In these performances a single dancer, by movements and gestures,
represented mythological scenes and love stories. The actor took several
characters in succession and a chorus accompanied him with songs. There were
also "vaudeville" entertainments, with all manner of jugglers,
ropedancers, acrobats, and clowns, to amuse a people who found no pleasure in
the refined productions of the Greek stage.
CHARIOT RACES
Far more popular than even pantomime and vaudeville were
the "games of the circus." At Rome these were held chiefly in the
Circus Maximus. Chariot races formed the principal attraction of the circus.
There were usually four horses to a chariot, though sometimes the drivers
showed their skill by handling as many as six or seven horses. The contestants
whirled seven times around the low wall, or spina, which divided the
race course. The shortness of the stretches and the sharp turns about the spina
must have prevented the attainment of great speed. A race, nevertheless, was a
most exciting sport. What we should call "fouling" was permitted and
even encouraged. The driver might turn his team against another or might
endeavor to upset a rival's car. It was a very tame contest that did not have
its accompaniment of broken chariots, fallen horses, and killed or injured
drivers.
