Editing Hippodrome

{{Short description|Ancient Greek stadium for horse and chariot racing}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2014}}

'''Hippodrome''' is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the [[Hippodrome, London|Hippodrome]] which opened in [[London]] in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The London Hippodrome, Hippodrome Corner, Cranbourn Street, City of Westminster |url=http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/LondonHippodrome.htm |access-date=2022-12-18 |website=www.arthurlloyd.co.uk}}</ref>

The term '''hippodroming''' refers to [[Match fixing|fraudulent sporting competitions]], such as in racing or baseball.<ref>{{Cite web |title=hippodrome, v. |url=https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/i7jmaua |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=greensdictofslang.com}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word "hippodrome" is derived from [[Ancient Greek]] ''hippódromos'' ({{langx|el|ἱππόδρομος}}), a stadium for [[horse racing]] and [[chariot racing]]. The name itself is a compound of the words ''híppos'' ({{langx|el|ἵππος}}), meaning "horse", and ''drómos'' ({{langx|el|δρόμος}}), meaning "course". The [[Roman Empire|ancient Roman]] counterpart was the [[Roman circus|circus]].

==Description==

One end of the ''hippodromos'' of the Ancient Greeks was semicircular, while the other was a quadrilateral with an extensive [[portico]]. At the front thereof, at a lower level, were the stalls for the [[horse]]s and chariots. On either end of the ''hippodromos'' were posts (Greek ''termata'') around which the chariots turned. This was the most dangerous part of the track and the Greeks put an altar to [[Taraxippus]] (disturber of horses) there to show the spot where many chariots were wrecked. Where possible, it was built on the slope of a hill and the ground excavated from one side was transferred to the other to form an embankment thereat.{{cn|date=February 2022}} 

[[Image:Chariot terma Staatliche Antikensammlungen 1452.jpg|thumb|right|''[[biga (chariot)|Biga]]'' chariot rounding a ''terma'': [[Attica|Attic]] black-figure amphora, ''circa'' 500 BC, found at [[Vulci]]]]

==List of Greek hippodromes==
* [[Delos]]
* [[Delphi]]
* [[Isthmia (ancient city)|Isthmia]]
* [[Lageion]]
* [[Mount Lykaion]]<ref>[http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/lykaion/ly-plan.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207033138/http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/lykaion/ly-plan.html|date=2006-12-07}}</ref>
* [[Nemea]]
* [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714145253.htm|title=Horse Racecourse In Ancient Olympia Discovered After 1600 Years|website=ScienceDaily}}</ref>

==List of Roman circuses==
* [[Aphrodisias]]
* [[Caesarea Maritima]]
* [[Circus Maximus]]
* [[Gerasa]]
* [[Hippodrome of Berytus]]
* [[Hippodrome of Constantinople]]
* [[Tyre Hippodrome]]
* [[Miróbriga]] (Mirobriga Celticorum)
* [[Roman circus of Mérida]]
* [[Plovdiv Roman Stadium|Roman Stadium of Philippopolis]]

==See also==
*[[List of horse racing venues]]

Other structures called hippodromes:
* [[Beirut Hippodrome#Hippodrome du parc de Beyrouth|Hippodrome du parc de Beyrouth]]
* [[Kensington Hippodrome]]
* [[Madison Square Garden (1879)]]. It is known as the "Great Roman Hippodrome"
* [[New York Hippodrome]] Theatre
* [[Brighton Hippodrome]] Entertainment venue in the ancient centre of Brighton
* [[Birmingham Hippodrome]] Theatre
* [[Bristol Hippodrome]] Theatre
* [[Hulme Hippodrome]] Theatre in Hulme, Manchester
* [[Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)]], or the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center
* [[Hippodrome Theater (Richmond, Virginia)]]
* [[The_Hippodrome]], formerly known as the McElroy Auditorium in Waterloo, Iowa

Similar modern structures:
* [[Velodrome]]
* [[Oval track]]
* [[Dragstrip]]

== References ==
{{Commons category|Ancient Roman circuses|'''Ancient Roman circuses'''}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Horse racing venues| ]]
[[Category:Ancient chariot racing]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Sport in ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Sports venues by type]]
[[Category:Harness racing]]