More or Less Is an ancient charioteer the best paid sportsperson of all time?
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Feb 17, 2026 
Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge who makes Roman history accessible, explores the claim that charioteer Gaius Appuleius Diocles was the richest sportsperson ever. She examines how the $15 billion figure was calculated. Short, lively conversations probe why direct money comparisons across millennia can mislead and how to place Diocles’ winnings in Roman context.
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Beware Simple Ancient-to-Modern Money Conversions
- Converting ancient sums into modern dollars by simple ratios (like army pay) is misleading and nearly meaningless.
- Mary Beard warns that money buys different things across eras, so such long-run comparisons mislead more than they illuminate.
Chariot Racing As Ancient Mass Sport
- Mary Beard describes chariot racing as a mass spectator sport with massive crowds in the Circus Maximus.
- She notes big prizes like 60,000 sesterces for top races and that superstar charioteers became wealthy celebrities.
The $15 Billion Claim's Flawed Method
- The $15 billion figure came from equating Diocles' winnings to a fraction of Roman army pay and substituting US military costs.
- Duncan Weldon and Mary Beard point out army sizes and relative costs differ, invalidating the analogy.