'Ponygirls of Rome' story text

The "Apalia" fresco from Herculaneum, c. 75 CE. Believed since its discovery to depict a character from myth, in light of recent discoveries it must be reconsidered as a depiction of a historical figure.

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What follows is part of a fragmentary and previously unknown "History of the Roman People," most likely composed toward the middle of the 3rd century CE. This fragment is the first item to be released from an exciting find made recently in Venice: A crew performing conservation work on a twelfth century villa discovered, in a secret room enclosed by blank walls, a trove of artworks and manuscripts that had apparently been sealed away for hundreds of years. Among them were several ancient works long thought to be lost, by authors including Aristotle, Euripides, Ovid, and the empress Agrippina; several chapters of Marco Polo's "Travels" that were not included in printed editions; and previously unknown sketches by Da Vinci. Many of these works were discovered in poor condition, and will be released as conservation work progresses.

Translation by Dr. B. Fann.


The “Apalia Fragment,” a surviving passage from a mostly-lost Historia Populi Romanus:

  “...Alongside the gladiators and charioteers, the people of Rome enjoyed a variety of spectacles, many bizarre. One such that was popular for a time was the racing of women harnessed in leather, like horses, who drew chariots around the Circus Maximus. It was rumored that this spectacle grew out of entertainments staged within the grounds of the imperial palace, for the private enjoyment of one of those reviled princes whose memory has been damned by decree.
  In the public arenas, pony-girl racing grew from a titillating oddity into an earnest contest. Whereas horses usually ran seven laps around the Circus the women usually ran one [about ¾ mile, or 1.2km], and sometimes the pony-girls would race in the Stadium or the Amphitheater. At the height of their popularity these races were viewed by many thousands, and the sums wagered on their outcomes were counted in talents. A swift and shapely pony-girl was counted among the rarest and most valuable of slaves.
  The four competing factions [Red, White, Green, and Blue] harnessed women who for their natural gifts were sought far and wide by the stable-masters, and who underwent long and arduous training. To increase the public interest, factions sought to field racers who combined speed with feminine beauty, and pony-girls of exotic origin and appearance were often favored. Popular and successful pony-girls became widely known, and their names could often be seen in graffiti scribed on the walls of the City by adherents of their factions.
  As the pony-girls ran with less speed than horses, the women who drove them faced less danger, and so the drivers did not earn the same fame as the horse-drivers, nor even so much as the pony-girls. This contradiction between rank and fame was said to lend strength to their drivers’ whip-hands, and to this day a wife who treats harshly the slavegirl favored by her husband is said to be ‘whipping her pony.’
  The champion of the pony-girls was Apalia. Brought to Rome from Egypt, she was no daughter of that country, being born far to the South beyond the springs of the Nile. It was said that one of her ancient foremothers had lain with Hercules himself, after he had stolen the apples of the Hesperides and thereby completed the eleventh of his Labors---and so the blood of the gods flowed in Apalia's veins. She was taller than most men, with a figure like a monumental sculpture of Venus and legs as strong and dark as ebony wood. Yoked to the right side of the shaft as Captain of the Reds, she drew many drivers to victory in prominent Games.
  Apalia's fame transcended the racing course after a leading patron of the Red Faction, the senator Storius, made a drunken boast. To redeem his foolish wager Apalia, without the aid of a team-mate, drew a chariot carrying the senator and a colleague from the Amphitheater to the top of the Capitoline hill. It was said that half the people of the City lined the Via Sacra to urge the dark beauty onwards, and to wager on whether she would succeed, or burst her heart with the effort.
  At the summit, before the temple of Jupiter, Storius---being moved by Apalia's spirit and faithfulness---thanked the harnessed slave for redeeming his honor and bought her freedom on the spot. This display won for Storius the affection of the people, and he was named Consul the following year...”

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Additional art on this theme and a PDF of the article outlining the archaeological discovery, including embedded art, is viewable at SirJeff's ponygirl site:
sirjeff.mechanicalmischief.com…

The "fresco" is my digital treatment of a piece commissioned from Raf Marinetti. His original is here: rafcut.deviantart.com/art/Pony…