It was the morning of
August 21st and most of Rome was already out celebrating the
festival of Consus. This included everyone from the Roman elites to the Roman
slaves. Appius and Aurelia were finishing up their breakfast, when Appius decided
they needed to leave right away. He knew the city would be crowded, and was
eager to get to the Circus Maximus as soon as possible. The festival of Consus was the biggest
day for chariot races, and Appius had placed a great deal of money on a
specific charioteer. Winning this race would give him bragging rights amongst
the other senators in Rome. He also spoke with his charioteer, who was a slave,
beforehand and told him he give him a large cut of his winnings, which would
help buy the freedom he was waiting years for.
Today was a good day for many of the slaves. They knew their
masters would be out at the chariot races all day, and looked forward to seeing
the races for themselves also. Two of the slaves in Appius’ household were
eager to spend time together, and would be able to do so today in public.
Appius and Aurelia were pleased to see that they arrived to
their private seats in time before the race. The beginning procession, which
occurred immediately before the races began, was still taking place. The crowd
was also cheering on the sponsor of the entire race. Appius and Aurelia got to
their seats and were greeted by slaves with wine which were waiting their
arrival. The rest of the slaves who arrived at Circus Maximus to watch the
races took their places in the slave standing boxes with the others.
The races were about to being, and the crowd was getting
anxious. The chariots and horses were ready, and the white cloth, which
signaled the start of the great race , was finally dropped by the sponsor. The
gates broke open, and the horses headed straight for the finish line. Everyone
in the crowd held their breath.
