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Tyre
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Tye, Al-Bass: Hippodrome.
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Tyre (Phoenician רצ, ṣūr, "rock"; Greek Τúρος; Latin Tyrus):
port in Phoenicia and one of the main cities in the eastern
Mediterranean.
Hippodrome
Tyre's hippodrome dates to the
second century. It is 90 meters wide, 480 meters long, had a capacity
of about 40,000 people, and was built for chariot races. In the center
was a large granite obelish. On both sides were meeting places for the
supporters of the teams, which were called the Blues (in the western
part of the hippodrome) and the Greens (in the eastern part). These
were luxurious buildings, with mosaics and equiped with baths.
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Although primarily meant for chariot races, the hippodrome was also
used for other types of
sport, and it is likely that at least some of the events of the Tyrian
Games were celebrated at this place. It may have been the place where,
during the Diocletianic
persecution, five Egyptian Christians were tortured to death (text). The hippodrome is singled out as
worthy of praise in the Expositio
Totius Mundi. |
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Reconstructed part
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Passage
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The southern part
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Starting boxes, seen from the west
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Turning point ("meta")
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Starting boxes, seen from the south
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Club house of the Blues.
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"Victory to the Greens": inscription in the club house of the Greens.
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Club house of the Greens.
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A satellite photo can
be seen here.
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©
Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org,
2012
Revision: 29 April 2013 |
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