Deliberate mistake: During the chariot race, the chariots crash together but the arrangement of the horses make it impossible for them to actually collide. In some instances (particularly in an aerial shot as Ben Hur and Messala round the turn) it is obvious that they repositioned the shaft of the chariot to between the first and third horses instead of being in the centre between the second and third.
Ben-Hur (1959)
1 deliberate mistake - chronological order
Directed by: William Wyler
Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet
Revealing mistake: During the chariot race, where the contestants are riding towards the screen, tyre tracks from the camera vehicle are clearly visible imprinted in the sand. (00:20:50)
Quintus Arrius: Your eyes are full of hate, forty-one. That's good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength.
Trivia: The 'Greek chariot' Mesalla uses in the race is based on the Persian scythed chariots which Darius III attempted to use against Alexander the Great's troops at the battle of Gaugamela, though with only insignificant success.