Biga (wagon)
A biga ( Latin , plural bigae ) is a chariot drawn by two horses. In contrast to the two-horse of the driver is not seated on the driver's seat , but is on the car.
Bigae were used for sports, transportation, and ceremonies in ancient Rome . In art, and occasionally in ceremonies, horses have been replaced by other animals. The term biga is also used in science today to denote branches of other Indo-European cultures, especially ancient Greek and Celtic branches. The driver of a biga is called Bigarius . The common name for a chariot driver is auriga .
There are other names in Latin for chariots, depending on the number of harnessed horses. These include the Quadriga , a four- horse chariot that was used for chariot races and triumphal procession , the Triga , a three- horse chariot that was used for chariot races and ceremonies, and the Seiuga or Seiugis , the six- horse chariot, which was used comparatively rarely for races because it was used was expensive and difficult to drive. The biga and the quadriga were the most common chariot types.
Two spans are often depicted on Roman coins , for example on the bigatus . The bigatus was a Roman denarius and so named because a biga is depicted on it.
In Roman religious iconography and cosmology , the biga symbolizes the moon and the quadriga the sun.
Re- enactment of a biga car race
Biga of Artemis , 450-425 BC. Chr.
Leopards pull a biga , around 340 BC. Chr.
Oxen pulling the Biga of Diana , 4th century
