An ancient arena or track used for horse racing and chariot races, especially in Greece and Rome.
From Greek 'hippodromos,' combining 'hippos' (horse) and 'dromos' (race course or path). The term was used to describe the grand racing venues that were central to ancient Mediterranean entertainment and culture.
The most famous hippodrome was in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and could hold 100,000 people — chariot racing was so popular that riots over rival teams once killed 30,000 spectators, showing how seriously ancient people took their sports.
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