On This Day In Roman History, January 13
The populace of Constantinople gathers en masse at the Hippodrome for a series of races that would result in the Nika riots on January 13, 532 CE. In earlier Roman and Byzantine history, several well-developed teams known as demes competed in the form of chariot racing. These teams had four colors including the Blues, the Reds, the Whites, and the Greens. In the recent times of 532, only two teams had any real influence; the Greens and the Blues. On this day, the race result put a frenzied crowd out of control, and the so-called Nika riots began. City-wide fires would burn down many notable buildings, most importantly destroying the Hagia Sophia. A five-day siege over the imperial palace would later cause Justinian to rally against mainly the Greens in order to put down the riots -- ultimately resulting in 30,000 killed.
Did you know?
Constantine I preferred chariot racing to the somewhat more violent games of gladiatorial combat. He saw this combat as a vestige of old paganism and began to reshape the public's view of both events. During this time in the early 300s the popularity of these sports, most notably in the eastern half of the empire, saw a shift to favor racing over combat.
Pictured left: The observed ruins of the Hippodrome as seen in the 1600's, but may be based off a drawing from the early 14th century.
By nieznani, rycina z XVI/XVII w (internet) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Opinion
While we might not experience riots to the size and degree that Constantinople did, we still see sport-related riots in the modern world. Just last week I watched a fight between two NFL fans on Twitter, with one ending up unconscious. A notable mention is the Port Said Stadium riots that resulted in 74 deaths which took place in Egypt during the 2012 season of the Egyptian Premier League. It is not often an event in antiquity well over a thousand years old can be so closely connected to modern day life in a very understandable way.
Sources
Bassett, S. (2004). The urban image of late antique Constantinople. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Justinian and the nike riots. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2017, from http://cliojournal.wikispaces.com/Justinian and the nike riots
Further Reading:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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