As a reader I have never found a period of history I do not find fascinating. As an author, the stories that come to me are set during the perilous times of the Bible.
The monumental city of Caesarea and its expansive man-made harbor was a major Roman port founded by Herod the Great between 22 BCE and 10 BCE. In 33 A.D., it is the home of Pontius Pilate and the famous chariot races in the hippodrome. Like the Circus Maximus in Rome, the chariot races were a war-on-wheels.
Charioteers or aurigas were highly trained slaves who drove either a biga, a two-horse chariot, or a quadriga, a four-horse chariot. They were assisted by an outrider(s) on horseback and a man on the ground who helped their charioteer in the tight turns and maneuvered so other teams would falter or crash. The risks for the charioteers were many, often fatal––the benefits were fame, fortune and, rarely, freedom.
Let’s time travel to the hippodrome 33 A.D. and meet Raya and Sophia, young women of the merchant class.
The crowd heading for the large oval hippodrome grew thicker. “We must go now, if we are to have any choice where we sit.” Raya could not contain her excited smile.
Her father’s face darkened, creased with worry. “Remember, choose places with the women in accord with our station, not among the rich, but also not among the rabble. Amidst the rabble, bets won or lost spark even the women to brawl and sometimes wield knives.”
Raya waved a quick farewell to her father.
Sophia clung to her arm as they entered the swift current of the crowd, sweeping close from all sides. Tokens were passed out in the streets that allowed entrance to the races. Whiffs of strong perfumes and sweat rancid from too much garlic and wine blended into a sickening smell. Raya held her breath.
“Take this it will help” Sophia handed her a small cloth.
She put it to her nose. Rose-water perfume. “Bless you.”
The oval hippodrome with three levels of arches loomed over them. At the ground level, each faction had its colors draped over the entrances for their allies.
Raya’s breaths quickened at the thought of the young slave she had met in their garden. He was to race today for the Yellows.
At the gateway, a man with a yellow cloak held out his hand. “You will want mid-level. Two tessares for each of you. They say it seats twenty thousand strong.” He rubbed his thumb across his fingers. “But we always pack in more.”
Raya paid, they climbed the stone stairs and wedged onto the first stone bench. “I want to be in the closest row allowed to us.”
Sophia stared with knowing eyes. “ You dream that he will know you from such a distance?
Raya’s cheeks heated and she looked away. A blast of trumpets. Her heartbeat raced. Roman soldiers stood on the bridge above the starting gates, a team color pennant hanging from each trumpet.
“Raya, look toward the high viewing box. Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas. They sponsored the races today.” Sophia shielded her eyes. “Who sits under the shade of the pulvinar, in the shrine to Caesar Augustus?”
“Pilate’s wife wears a long white tunic hemmed in purple and a matching purple stola. Herodias wears a golden tunic as a sign of favor for the Yellows.
A cry of welcome and worship arose from the crowd. The pompa circensis, the elaborate opening procession, had begun. Statues of the Roman gods and emperors were carried in through the triumphal arch and placed on the spina in the middle of the track. Musicians played flutes and lyres, and boys dressed as Roman warriors danced before the rulers. An unending line of officials entered, chests held proud, chins lifted high. Each man climbed the stairs to their proper rank, bowed to Pontius Pilate, and took their place beneath the viewing box.
Raya leaned forward. “Surely the charioteers will come next.”
Sophia turned to Raya. “An ox was sacrificed in the temple. The priest just signaled a fortuitous reading of the liver and entrails.” The crowd waved their colored scarves, shouting the names of their favorite aurigas.
Raya pointed to the center. “See that row of seven dolphin sculptures on high poles? Are they meant to call to mind the dolphins that helped our people cross the parted Red Sea?”
Sophia laughed the laugh of a slightly older, slightly wiser, young woman. “If you believe that fanciful tale, you are an innocent ripe for the picking by some deceitful man. The dolphins are a symbol of Neptune, god of the sea, horses, and horsemen.”
Raya’s cheeks burned. She wished she had not confessed her meeting with the young auriga whose first race was today. “Sophia, the dolphins just turned nose up.”
“When each of seven laps is completed, the nose turns down.”
“Can the people not reckon to seven?”
Sophia flicked Raya on the nose. “After the first race you tell me if you can reckon to seven.” Amid the battle of chariots, even the champions lose all sense of reckoning.”
The starting gates rose, and Raya’s hope plummeted. “How can you put a name to the charioteer? Each is clothed in a leather helmet, a leather tunic banded around the chest, and leather trunks to cover the thighs.”
“Some have special designs on their chariots, others an unusual stance or horse team.”
The Yellows, her auriga’s team, entered the hippodrome. Raya’s mouth went dry, and her breaths came fast.
The roar of the crowd soared, a thunder Raya could feel in her chest. Their Judean heroes. The charioteers’ heads and reins were held high, the horses kept to a slow trot. The day was already sweltering, but Raya was suddenly chilled. She drew her cloak tight. HaShem, I beg you, do not allow the final race of this day to become the final race of my auriga’s life.
Linda Dindzans, M.D. is a writer with the heart of a healer who offers readers stories of redemption and restoration. Though her compelling characters inhabit the treacherous times of the Bible, Linda believes the struggles of her characters still speak to hearts today.
In 2019, Linda visited Israel. Her debut novel A Certain Man was released in August 2024. Her next novel A Certain Mercy (December 2025) features several scenes set in Caesarea.
To learn more about Linda or her books, check out her website here!
