Ancient Equestrianism
Facts
| Discipline of | Ancient Sports |
|---|---|
| Participants | 2 |
| NOCs | 2 |
| Competitions held | 0 (Venues) |
| Distinct events | 16 |
Description
Multiple equestrian events were contested at the Ancient Olympic Games, starting with the tethrippon in 680 BCE, which was held at least 66 times in Ancient Olympia. The other two main equestrian events were the keles, or horse race, held 34 times or more; and the synoris, documented 17 times.
The tethrippon was a four-horse chariot race, while the synoris was a two-horse chariot race. Equestrian events were later on the program for both foals and colts, and some events were specifically designed to enable Nero, Emperor of Roma to win Olympic titles in 67 CE.
All-time medal table
Ancient Olympic Games
| NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elis |  ELI |
40 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Athens |  ATH |
18 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Sparta |  SPA |
17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Macedonia |  MAK |
9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Roma |  ROM |
9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Thessaly |  THL |
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Kyrene |  KYR |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Unknown |  UNK |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Siracusa |  SIR |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Korinth |  KTH |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Alexandria |  ALX |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ambrakia |  AMB |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Krannon |  KRN |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Rhodes |  RHD |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Thebes |  THB |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Akragas |  AKR |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Argos |  AGS |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Gela |  GEL |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kamarina |  KMN |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lindos |  LIN |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sikyon |  SIK |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Troy |  TRO |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dymai |  DYM |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Epeiros |  EPE |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Epidamnos |  EDM |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Erythrai |  ERY |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kamiros |  KMR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kos |  SKS |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Larisa |  LAR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Naxos |  NAX |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pergamon |  PGM |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Philippoi |  PHP |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Most successful competitors
Ancient Olympic Games
| Athlete | Nat | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilistikhe | MAK |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Nero, Emperor of Roma | ROM |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Euagoras | SPA |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Hieron, Tyrant of Siracusa | SIR |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Kallias II | ATH |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Philip II, King of Macedonia | MAK |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Agilokhos | ELI |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Akestorides | TRO |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Arkesilaos | SPA |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Arkhelaos I | MAK |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Arkhiadas | ELI |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Euagoras | ELI |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Gnaeus Marcus | ROM |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hellanikos | ELI |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hippokrates | THL |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kallias | ATH |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kimon, Koalemos, son of Stesagoras | ATH |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kyniska | SPA |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lucius Minicius Natalis Quadronius Verus | ROM |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nikagoras | LIN |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Pandion | THL |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Philistos | ELI |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Psaumios | KMN |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| State Victory | AGS |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Theopropos | RHD |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Tlasimakhos | AMB |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Troilos | ELI |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Arsinoe II | ALX |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Event types
| Name | Gender | Still contested? | Times held? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tethrippon | Men | 66 | |
| Unknown Event | Men | 7 | |
| Synoris | Men | 17 | |
| Horse Race (Keles) | Men | 34 | |
| Race for Mares (Kalpe) | Men | 1 | |
| Apene (Mule-Cart Race) | Men | 4 | |
| Foals' Tethrippon | Men | 8 | |
| Foals' Synoris | Men | 6 | |
| Foals' Race | Men | 7 | |
| Colts' Tethrippon | Men | 2 | |
| Colts' Synoris | Men | 1 | |
| Chariot Race | Men | 2 | |
| Chariot Race for 10 Horses | Men | 2 | |
| Chariot Race for Foals | Men | 1 | |
| Tethrippon or Synoris for Foals | Men | 1 | |
| Unknown Event for Foals | Men | 2 |