<P> The figure is of a very young man , as is shown by his soft side - curls . Like modern jockeys , chariot racers were chosen for their lightness , but also needed to be tall , so they were frequently teenagers . It seems that it represents a teenager from a noble family of his time . As we know , aristocratic chariot racers selected their drivers from glorious noble families to race their chariot in the Panhellenic games . The Charioteer wears the customary long tunic , ( the xystin ) , reaching down to his ankles . A wide belt tightens the tunic high above the waist , while two other bands pass as suspenders over the shoulders , under the arms and criss - cross in the back . This is the analavos which keeps the garment from billowing in the wind during the race . The deep vertical pleats in the lower part of the tunic emphasize the Charioteer 's solid posture , resembling also the fluting of an Ionic column . On the upper part of the body , however , the pleats are wavy , diagonal or curved . This contrast in the garment representation is also followed by the body 's contrapuntal posture , so that the statue does not show any rigidity , but looks perfectly mobile and almost real . The entire statue is as if it is animated by a gradual shift to the right starting from the solid stance of the feet and progressing sequentially through the body passing the hips , chest and head to end up at its gaze . The hands are spread out holding the reins , with the long and thin fingers tightening -- together with the reins -- a cylindrical object , the riding crop . The Charioteer is not portrayed during the race , as in this case his movement would be more intense , but in the end of the race , after his victory , when -- being calm and full of happiness -- he makes the victory lap in the hippodrome . His attractive gemstone eyes evoke what Classical period Greeks called ethos and balance . His motion is instantaneous , but also eternal . In spite of the great victory , there are no shouts , but a calm inner power . The face and the body do not have the features of arrogance , but those of calm self - confidence . </P>
<P> The figure is of a very young man , as is shown by his soft side - curls . Like modern jockeys , chariot racers were chosen for their lightness , but also needed to be tall , so they were frequently teenagers . It seems that it represents a teenager from a noble family of his time . As we know , aristocratic chariot racers selected their drivers from glorious noble families to race their chariot in the Panhellenic games . The Charioteer wears the customary long tunic , ( the xystin ) , reaching down to his ankles . A wide belt tightens the tunic high above the waist , while two other bands pass as suspenders over the shoulders , under the arms and criss - cross in the back . This is the analavos which keeps the garment from billowing in the wind during the race . The deep vertical pleats in the lower part of the tunic emphasize the Charioteer 's solid posture , resembling also the fluting of an Ionic column . On the upper part of the body , however , the pleats are wavy , diagonal or curved . This contrast in the garment representation is also followed by the body 's contrapuntal posture , so that the statue does not show any rigidity , but looks perfectly mobile and almost real . The entire statue is as if it is animated by a gradual shift to the right starting from the solid stance of the feet and progressing sequentially through the body passing the hips , chest and head to end up at its gaze . The hands are spread out holding the reins , with the long and thin fingers tightening -- together with the reins -- a cylindrical object , the riding crop . The Charioteer is not portrayed during the race , as in this case his movement would be more intense , but in the end of the race , after his victory , when -- being calm and full of happiness -- he makes the victory lap in the hippodrome . His attractive gemstone eyes evoke what Classical period Greeks called ethos and balance . His motion is instantaneous , but also eternal . In spite of the great victory , there are no shouts , but a calm inner power . The face and the body do not have the features of arrogance , but those of calm self - confidence . </P>
the charioteer is a famous bronze statue showing
the charioteer is a famous bronze statue showing
a teenager from a noble family of his time
a teenager from a noble family of his time