Mosaic with quadriga

Emblem with a circus scene depicting a quadriga. The outer pair of horses, funales, and the two harnessed to the chariot’s yoke, iugales, are rearing up on their hind legs, forelegs pawing the air. They all sport palm leaves on their heads and amulets around their necks. The triumphant auriga in the chariot holds the palm of victory. He is wearing a blue tunic, which tells us that he belongs to the factio veneta or “blue team”. The iubilator, also in the chariot, raises his hand to hail the victor. Before the quadriga, the sparsor holds the chin of an equus funalis in one hand and an amphora in the other.
During the Roman Republic there were only two teams, red (factio russata) and white (factio albata). In the first century they were joined by the greens (factio prasina) and the blues (factio veneta). They were the most important and the main attraction at circus games. Each team had its aurigae or charioteers, genuine heroes who won large sums of money and honours for themselves and others.