Chariot racing was one of the most popular sports in the Roman world and, one could argue, much more interesting than NASCAR. A minister at the Jordanian Department of Antiquities realized that not too long ago—doubtlessly with the thought of his country’s many Roman-era hippodromes in the back of his mind. Seeing a chance to lure Western tourists to Jordan, the Department of Antiquities teamed up with British investors to bring chariot racing back to Roman-era arenas:

Races will start from a row of 10 identical archways at one end of the hippodrome, above which will flutter a standard corresponding to a particular stable. Cunningly, the gates are not set at 90 degrees but are angled in order not to give teams an advantage when they break and race along the narrow left-handed track for seven laps.

The foot-soldiers are skilled, ultra-fit professionals, between 35 and 40 years old and trained by stunt advisers from Britain. Most are former soldiers, many of them Special Forces, and have mastered all the commands in Latin. Having retired on modest pensions, they are now very well-off and the project is the second biggest employer in the town of 25,000 people.

And it’s not chariot racing, but we’re offering a four-hour workshop, Rome: From the Birth of the Republic to the Death of the Empire, this January.