Byzantine Daily Life & Culture: Entertainment & the Hippodrome

Byzantine Daily Life & Culture: Entertainment & the HippodromeHippodrome Event Program | Grades 6–8

Explore Byzantine daily life and culture through entertainment, chariot racing, and the Hippodrome with this no-prep research and project-based lesson. Students discover that chariot races were far more than entertainment—the Hippodrome was an important social and political space where enormous crowds gathered, racing factions developed passionate followings, and the emperor interacted with the people of Constantinople.

Students become event programmers and create a Hippodrome Event Program that reconstructs a Byzantine race day. Along the way, they investigate the famous Blues and Greens, the emperor’s role at events, and how faction rivalry could extend beyond sports into political disputes and unrest.

What’s Included
- Teacher Directions & lesson overview
- Mini research questions
- 5-step Hippodrome Event Program group project
- Curated online research resources
- 3 student research, analysis & planning pages
- Race-day & faction investigation activities
- Social and political significance analysis
- Event Program planning board & checklist
- Color and black-and-white student pages
- Optional reflection

Students Will
- Explore the Hippodrome and its role in Constantinople
- Reconstruct the experience of a Byzantine race day
- Investigate charioteers, spectators, factions, and the emperor
- Compare the Blues and Greens
- Analyze how sports fandom could develop into powerful group identity
- Examine connections between faction rivalry and political unrest
- Explore how the Hippodrome connected the emperor with the public
- Distinguish historical evidence from reasonable reconstruction
- Explain why entertainment could have genuine social and political significance
- Create a Hippodrome Event Program

Why Teachers Love This
- No prep and ready to use
- Makes Byzantine social and political life accessible through an engaging topic
- Goes beyond simply learning about chariot racing
- Connects entertainment, society, group identity, and political power
- Builds research, cause-and-effect, and historical-thinking skills
- Provides structured scaffolding before the final project
- Flexible for individual, partner, or small-group work
- Designed for 1–2 class periods of 45–60 minutes

Perfect For
- Byzantine Empire units
- Medieval & World History
- Daily life and culture studies
- Ancient and medieval sports
- Government and society connections
- Historical research projects
- Project-based learning
- Enrichment activities
- Sub plans

Part of the Byzantine Empire: Daily Life & Culture Series
Please Note: This independent educational resource is designed to supplement classroom instruction.
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