Added: Sep 7, 2008
From: SimonDuits
Duration: 3:37
Another part of the Les Gladiateurs spectacle in the historical theme park at Puy du Fou is the chariot race. The White team has to win, since he's the legionary who revealed his Christian roots to Emperor Diocletian and now has to win all games in order to be exempted from capital punishment - or so the story goes. Hence, he receives an amiable applause from the crowd, whereas the other color-coded teams are arguably no favourites for the title. Watch and behold the Christian undertaking his ride to life and freedom. About Puy du Fou "Puy du Fou is a historical theme park in Les Epesses in the heart of the Vendée region of Western France. The park brings in some 1.2 million visitors every year, making it the second most popular attraction in France after Euro Disney[1]. (...) Gladiators is set in a replica of an amphitheater that is 115 meters long and 75 meters wide and recreated the atmosphere of Gaul during Roman times. It features a traditional parade of people and animals, gladiatorial combat, chariot racing and executions. It is set during the time of Diocletian, when there was great unrest." ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puy_du_Fou About chariot racing "Chariot racing (Greek: ἁρματοδρομία/armatodromia) was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both drivers and horses—they frequently suffered serious injury and even death—but generated strong spectator enthusiasm. In the ancient Olympic Games, as well as the other Panhellenic Games, the sport was one of the most important equestrian events. In the Roman form of chariot racing, teams represented different groups of financial backers and sometimes competed for the services of particularly skilled drivers. These teams became the focus of intense support among spectators, and occasional disturbances broke out between followers of different factions. The conflicts sometimes became politicized, as the sport began to transcend the races themselves and started to affect society overall. This helps explain why Roman and later Byzantine emperors took control of the teams and appointed many officials to oversee them. The sport faded in importance after the fall of Rome in the West, surviving only for a time in the Byzantine Empire, where the traditional Roman factions continued to play a prominent role for some time, gaining influence in political matters. Their rivalry culminated in the Nika riots, which marked the gradual decline of the sport." ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing Device used Sony Ericsson K850i
Channel: Entertainment
Tags: chariot christendom christian diocletian fou france french games gladiator olympic puy racing rome torture total war
Rating: 1.00 (2 ratings) Views: 226 Comments: 0
