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For other uses, see Chariot (disambiguation).
Hittite chariot (drawing of an Egyptian relief)
Hittite chariot (drawing of an Egyptian relief)
Approximate historical map of the spread of the chariot, 2000–500 BC.
Approximate historical map of the spread of the chariot, 2000–500 BC. The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now
A fountain in Madrid depicting Cybele in her chariot drawn by lions, in the Plaza de Cibeles
A fountain in Madrid depicting Cybele in her chariot drawn by lions, in the Plaza de Cibeles

The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people usually horse-drawn Chariots were built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. and in China during the 2d millennium BC. The original chariot was a fast, light, open, two- or four-wheeled conveyance drawn by two or more horses hitched side by side. A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load ( Mass) or performing labour in machines The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. The car was little else than a floor with a waist-high semicircular guard in front. The chariot, driven by a charioteer, was used for ancient warfare during the Bronze and Iron Ages, armor being provided by bronze shields. Ancient warfare is War as conducted from the beginnings of recorded History to the end of the ancient period The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. The vehicle continued to be used for travel, processions and in games and races after it had been superseded militarily. Travel is the change in location of people on a trip through the means of Transport from one location to another A parade (also called march or marchpast) is a procession of people usually organized along a street often in Costume, and often accompanied by Fire A game is a structured activity, usually undertaken for Enjoyment and sometimes also used as an Educational tool Chariot racing (ἁρματοδρομία/armatodromia was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Sports Chariot

The word "chariot" comes from Latin carrus, which itself was a loan from Gaulish. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became A chariot of war or of triumph was called a car. In ancient Rome and other ancient Mediterranean countries a biga was a two-horse chariot, a triga utilized three horses and a quadriga was drawn by four horses abreast. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC "Ancient" redirects here For other uses see Ancient_(disambiguation. SpecialContributions/ --> A quadriga ( Latin quadri-, four and jungere, to yoke is a car Obsolete terms for chariot include chair, charet and wain.

The critical invention that allowed the construction of light, horse-drawn chariots for use in battle was the spoked wheel. A spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a Wheel (the hub where the Axle connects connecting the hub with the round traction surface Most horses at the time could not support the weight of a man in battle. There are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. As horses were gradually bred to be larger and stronger, chariotry (the part of a military force that fought from chariots) gave way to cavalry. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on [1]

The earliest spoke-wheeled chariots date to ca. 2000 BC and their usage peaked around 1300 BC (see Battle of Kadesh). } The Battle of Kadesh (also Qadesh) took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Chariots ceased to have military importance in the 4th century BC, but chariot races continued to be popular in Constantinople until the 6th century. Chariot racing (ἁρματοδρομία/armatodromia was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Sports Chariot Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS

Contents

Early wheeled vehicles in Sumer

Relief of early chariots on the Standard of Ur, ca. 2500 BC
Relief of early chariots on the Standard of Ur, ca. The Standard of Ur (also known as the "Battle Standard of Ur" or the "Royal Standard of Ur" is a Sumerian artifact excavated from what had 2500 BC

The chariot probably originated in Mesopotamia about 3000 BC. Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding The earliest depiction of vehicles in the context of warfare is on the Standard of Ur in southern Mesopotamia, ca. The Standard of Ur (also known as the "Battle Standard of Ur" or the "Royal Standard of Ur" is a Sumerian artifact excavated from what had 2500 BC. These are more properly called wagons or carts, still double-axled and pulled by oxen or tamed asses before the introduction of horses ca. A wagon (in British English, sometimes waggon) or dray is a heavy four-wheeled Vehicle. "CARTS" redirects here For the transportation system see Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or Chautauqua CARTS. The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family and an odd-toed ungulate. 2000 BC. Although sometimes carrying a spearman along with the charioteer (driver), such heavy proto-chariots, borne on solid wooden wheels and covered with skins, may have been part of the baggage train (e. g. , during royal funeral processions) rather than vehicles of battle in themselves. The Sumerians had also a lighter, two-wheeled type of chariot, pulled by four asses, but still with solid wheels. The spoked wheel did not appear in Mesopotamia until the mid-2000s BC.

Indo-Iranians

Proto-Indo-Iranians

Main article: Ratha
The area of the spoke-wheeled chariot finds within the Sintashta-Petrovka culture is indicated in purple.
The area of the spoke-wheeled chariot finds within the Sintashta-Petrovka culture is indicated in purple. Ratha ( Sanskrit rátha, Avestan raθa) is the Indo-Iranian term for the Spoked wheel Chariot Indo-Iranian originspng|thumb|300px|Archaeological cultures associated with Indo-Iranian migrations (after EIEC)

The earliest fully developed chariots known are from the chariot burials of the Andronovo (Timber-Grave) sites of the Sintashta-Petrovka culture in modern Russia and Kazakhstan from around 2000 BC. Chariot burials are Tombs in which the deceased was buried together with his Chariot, usually including his (more rarely her Horses and other possessions Indo-Iranian originspng|thumb|300px|Archaeological cultures associated with Indo-Iranian migrations (after EIEC) Indo-Iranian originspng|thumb|300px|Archaeological cultures associated with Indo-Iranian migrations (after EIEC) Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the This culture is at least partially derived from the earlier Yamna culture. The Yamna (from Russian / Ukrainian яма "pit" also known as Pit Grave or Ochre Grave culture) is a late copper age /early It built heavily fortified settlements, engaged in bronze metallurgy on a scale hitherto unprecedented and practiced complex burial rituals reminiscent of Aryan rituals known from the Rigveda. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Aryan is an English word derived from the Sanskrit " Ārya " meaning "noble" or "honorable" The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" The Sintashta-Petrovka chariot burials yield spoke-wheeled chariots. The Andronovo culture over the next few centuries spread across the steppes from the Urals to the Tien Shan, likely corresponding to early Indo-Iranian cultures which eventually spread to Iran and India in the course of the 2nd millennium BC. Indo-Iranian originspng|thumb|300px|Archaeological cultures associated with Indo-Iranian migrations (after EIEC) Riphean redirects here For the time period see Riphean stage The Ural Mountains (Ура́льские го́ры Uralskiye The Tian Shan (天山 Pinyin: Tiān Shān "celestial mountains" also commonly spelled Tien Shan, is a Mountain range located in Central Indo-Iranian peoples consist of the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dardic and Nuristani peoples that is speakers of Indo-Iranian languages For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age.

Chariots figure prominently in Indo-Iranian mythology. Chariots are also an important part of both Hindu and Persian mythology, with most of the gods in their pantheon portrayed as riding them. Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and By Persian Mythology is meant the myths and sacred narratives of the culturally and linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Iranian Plateau A pantheon (from Greek Πάνθειον - pantheion, literally "a temple of all gods " neut The Sanskrit word for a chariot is ratha, a collective *ret-h- to a Proto-Indo-European word *rot-o- for "wheel" that also resulted in Latin rota and is also known from Germanic, Celtic and Baltic. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

India

There are a few depictions of chariots among the petroglyphs in the sandstone of the Vindhya range. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading The Vindhya Range ( Sanskrit: विन्‍ध्य is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent which geographically Two depictions of chariots are found in Morhana Pahar, Mirzapur district. For the settlement in Bangladesh see Mirzapur Bangladesh. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Mirzapur One is shows a team of two horses, with the head of a single driver visible. The other one is drawn by four horses, has six-spoked wheels, and shows a driver standing up in a large chariot-box. This chariot is being attacked, with a figure wielding a shield and a mace standing at its path, and another figure armed with bow and arrow threatening its right flank. It has been suggested (Sparreboom 1985:87) that the drawings record a story, most probably dating to the early centuries BC, from some center in the area of the Ganges–Jamuna plain into the territory of still Neolithic hunting tribes. The Ganges (ˈgænʤiːz also Ganga, Devanāgarī: hi गंगा in most Indian languages) is the major river in the Indian subcontinent The drawings would then be a representation of foreign technology, comparable to the Arnhem Land Aboriginal rock paintings depicting Westerners. The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. The very realistic chariots carved into the Sanchi stupas are dated to roughly the 1st century. Sanchi is a small Village in Raisen District of India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m स्तूप stūpa, literally meaning "heap" is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist

The scythed chariot was invented by the King of Magadha, Ajatashatru around 475 BC. The Scythed chariot was a modified war chariot. A scythed chariot was a war chariot with a blade(s mounted on both ends of the Axle. Magadha (मगध formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas ( Sanskrit, "great countries" or regions in ancient India. Ajātashatru ( Sanskrit अजातशत्रु ruled 491- 461 BCE) was a king of the Magadha empire that ruled north India He used these chariots against the Licchavis. Licchavi (also Lichchhavi, Lichavi) was an ancient Republic which existed in what is now Bihar state of India, since the before the A scythed chariot was a war chariot with a sharp, sickle-shaped blade or blades mounted on each end of the axle. For the ancient Sicilian tyrant see Scythes. A scythe (ˈsaɪð from Old English siðe. An axle is a central shaft for a rotating Wheel or Gear. In some cases the axle may be fixed in position with a bearing or Bushing The blades, used as weapons, extended horizontally for a meter on the sides of the chariot.

Persia

The Persians succeeded Elam in the mid 1st millennium. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Elam is the name of an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. They may have been the first to yoke four horses (rather than two) to their chariots. They also used scythed chariots. Cyrus the Younger employed these chariots in large numbers. Cyrus (Kuruš the Younger, son of Darius II of Persia (Dārayavahuš and Parysatis, was a Persian prince and General. Herodotus mentions that the Libyans and the Indus satrapy supplied cavalry and chariots to Xerxes' army. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd See also the related deity Satrapes. Satrap (Persian ساتراپ was the name given to the governors of the Provinces of ancient However, by this time cavalry was far more effective and agile than the chariot, and the defeat of Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC), where the army of Alexander simply opened their lines and let the chariots pass and attacked them from behind, marked the end of the era of chariot warfare. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Darius III ( Artashata) (c 380&ndash330 BC Persian داریوش Dāriūš dɔːriˈuːʃ was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of The Battle of Gaugamela (ˌgɔːgəˈmiːlə (Γαυγάμηλα took place in 331 BC between Alexander the Great of Macedonia and Darius III

Near East

Some scholars argue that the chariot was most likely a product of the ancient Near East early in the 2nd millennium BC. [2]

Armenia

In the Armenian Kingdom of Van (Urartu), the chariot was used by the nobility and the military. Urartu ( Assyrian: Urarṭu Urartian: Biainili Ուրարտու was an Iron Age kingdom in Eastern Anatolia ( Transcaucasia) rising In Yerevan,Armenia king Argishti of Urartu is depicted riding on a a chariot which is dragged by two horses. The chariot has two wheels and each wheel has about eight spokes. This type of chariot was used around 800 BC.

Hittites

The oldest testimony of chariot warfare in the Ancient Near East is the Old Hittite Anitta text (18th century BC), mentioning 40 teams of horses (40 ?Í-IM-DÌ ANŠE. Hittite or Nesili is the Extinct language once spoken by the Hittites, a people who created an empire centered on ancient Hattusas (modern Anitta, son of Pithana, was a king of Kussara, a city that has yet to be identified KUR. RA?I. A) at the siege of Salatiwara. Salatiwara was a city of Bronze Age Anatolia. It was besieged by Anitta in the 18th century BC with 1400 infantry and 40 Chariots Since only teams are mentioned rather than explicitly chariots, so the presence of chariots in the 18th century is considered somewhat uncertain. The first certain attestation of chariots in the Hittite Empire dates to the late 17th century (Hattusili I). Labarna II was the first king of the Hittite empire to reign from Hattusa (while the earlier kings had been at Neša) taking the throne name of Hattusili A Hittite horse training text survives, attributed to Kikkuli the Mitanni (15th century BC). Kikkuli, "master horse trainer ( assussanni, virtually Sanskrit aśva-sana-) of the land Mitanni " (LÚ A-AŠ-ŠU-UŠ-ŠA-AN-NI

The Hittites were renowned charioteers. The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established They developed a new chariot design, which had lighter wheels, with four spokes rather than eight, and which held three warriors instead of two. Hittite prosperity largely depended on their control of trade routes and natural resources, specifically metals. As the Hittites gained dominion over Mesopotamia, tensions flared among the neighboring Assyrians, Hurrians and Egyptians. The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. The Hurrians (also Khurrites; cuneiform Ḫu-ur-ri 𒄷𒌨𒊑 were a people of the Ancient Near East, who lived in northern Mesopotamia This article is about the contemporary North African ethnic group Under Suppiluliuma I, the Hittites conquered Kadesh and eventually the whole of Syria. Suppiluliuma I was king of the Hittites (ca 1344 – 1322 BC ( Short chronology) This article is about Kadesh in Syria see also Kadesh (South of Israel or Kedesh Kadesh (also Qadesh) was an ancient city of Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The Battle of Kadesh in 1299 BC is likely to have been the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving some five thousand chariots. } The Battle of Kadesh (also Qadesh) took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under

Relief of Ramses II located in Abu Simbel, depicted fighting at the Battle of Kadesh; note that there are two archers riding in the chariot, one with the reins tied around the waist, to free both hands
Relief of Ramses II located in Abu Simbel, depicted fighting at the Battle of Kadesh; note that there are two archers riding in the chariot, one with the reins tied around the waist, to free both hands

Egypt

The chariot, together with the horse itself, was introduced to Egypt by the Hyksos invaders in the 16th century BC and undoubtedly contributed to their military success. Abu Simbel ( أبو سنبل or ar '''أبو سمبل''' is an Archaeological site comprising two massive rock Temples in southern Egypt } The Battle of Kadesh (also Qadesh) took place between the forces of the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Hyksos ( Egyptian heqa khasewet, "foreign rulers" Greek,, Arabic,) were an Asiatic people who invaded the eastern Nile In the remains of Egyptian and Assyrian art there are numerous representations of chariots, from which it may be seen with what richness they were sometimes ornamented. Ancient Egyptian art refers to the style of painting sculpture crafts and architecture developed by the Civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture The chariots of the Egyptians and Assyrians, with whom the bow was the principal arm of attack, were richly mounted with quivers full of arrows. The Egyptians invented the yoke saddle for their chariot horses in ca. 1500 BC. The best preserved examples of Egyptian chariots are the four specimens from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Chariots in the Bible

See also Merkabah. For the series of Israeli main battle tanks see Merkava. The Hebrew word Merkabah (he מרכבה " Chariot " derived from the consonantal

Chariots are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, particularly by the prophets, as instruments of war or as symbols of power or glory. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. First mentioned in the story of Joseph (Genesis 50:9), "Iron chariots" are mentioned also in Joshua (17:16,18) and Judges (1:19,4:3,13) as weapons of the Canaanites. Joseph or Yosef (יוֹסֵ Standard Yosef Tiberian Yôsēp̄, يوسف Yusuf; "He The Book of Joshua ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'hoshua ספר יהושע is the sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Book of Judges ( Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. Canaanites redirects here For the 1940s social and political movement in Israel, see Canaanites (movement. 1 Samuel 13:5 mentions chariots of the Philistines, who are sometimes identified with the Sea Peoples or early Greeks. The Books of Samuel ( Hebrew: Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaism 's Hebrew Bible) and also of The Philistines ( Hebrew פלשתים plishtim) (see "other uses" below were a people who inhabited the southern coast of Canaan, The Sea Peoples is the term used for a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium BC who sailed into the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, caused political Mycenaean Greece is a cultural period of ancient Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese Such examples from the KJV here include:

China

The earliest chariot burial site in China, discovered in 1933 at Hougang, Anyang of central China's Henan Province, dates to the rule of King Wu Ding of the late Shang Dynasty (ca. Hougang is an urban planning area and a Suburb in the north-eastern area of the City-state of Singapore. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country Wu Ding ( Chinese: 武丁 born Zi Zhao, Chinese 子昭 was a Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty ( Chinese: 商[[wiktionary 朝|朝]] or Yin Dynasty ( 殷[[wiktionary 代|代]] was according to traditional sources the 1200 BC). But chariots may have been known before, from as early as the Xia Dynasty (17th century BC) [1]. The Xia Dynasty ( of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and During the Shang dynasty, members of the royalty were buried with a complete household and servants, including a chariot, horses, and a charioteer. Shang chariot was often drawn by two horses, but four are occasionally found in burials. The crew consisted of an archer, a driver, and sometimes a third armed with a spear or dagger-axe. The dagger-axe ( sometimes confusingly translated " Halberd " is a type of Weapon that was in use from Shang dynasty until at least During the 8th to 5th centuries, Chinese use of chariots reached its peak, they appeared in greater number, but infantry often defeated them in battle.

The chariot became obsolete during the Age of the Warring States; the main reasons were the invention of the crossbow and the adaptation of nomadic cavalry (mounted archery), which was more effective. The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the

Europe

Northern Europe

A petroglyph in a double burial, c. 1000 BC (the Nordic Bronze Age)
A petroglyph in a double burial, c. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading The King's Grave near Kivik ( Kungagraven Kiviksgraven) in the southeastern portion of the Swedish province of Skåne ( is what remains 1000 BC (the Nordic Bronze Age)

The Trundholm sun chariot is dated to ca. The Nordic Bronze Age (also Northern Bronze Age) is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age culture in Scandinavian The Trundholm sun chariot ( Danish: Solvognen) is a late Nordic Bronze Age artifact discovered in Denmark, that has been interpreted as a depiction 1400 BC (see Nordic Bronze Age). The Nordic Bronze Age (also Northern Bronze Age) is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age culture in Scandinavian The horse drawing the solar disk runs on four wheels, and the Sun itself on two. All wheels have four spokes. The "chariot" consists solely of the solar disk, the axle, and the wheels, and it is unclear if the sun is imagined as being itself a chariot, or as riding in a chariot. The presence of a model of a horse-drawn vehicle on two spoked wheels in Northern Europe at such an early time is in any case astonishing.

In addition to the Trundholm chariot, there are a number of petroglyphs from the Nordic Bronze Age showing chariots, such as on one of the slabs of stone in a double bural from c. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading The King's Grave near Kivik ( Kungagraven Kiviksgraven) in the southeastern portion of the Swedish province of Skåne ( is what remains 1000 BC, showing a chariot with two four-spoked wheels drawn by a team of two horses.

The use of the composite bow from chariots is not attested in northern Europe. A composite bow is a bow made from disparate materials laminated together usually applied under tension

Central Europe and the British Isles

The Celts were famous chariot-makers, and the English word car is believed to be derived, via Latin carrum, from Gaulish karros (English chariot itself is from 13th century French charriote, an augmentative of the same word). Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Gaulish or Gallic is the name given to the Celtic language that was spoken in Gaul before the Vulgar Latin of the late Roman Empire became French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Some 20 Iron Age chariot burials have been excavated in Britain, dating roughly from between 500 BC and 100 BC, virtually all of them in East Yorkshire, with the exception of one find of 2001 from Newbridge, 10 km west of Edinburgh. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. Chariot burials are Tombs in which the deceased was buried together with his Chariot, usually including his (more rarely her Horses and other possessions See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Newbridge is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south of Kirkliston Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.

The Celtic chariot may have been called carpentom, was drawn by a team of two horses, and measures approximately 2 m (6. 56 ft) in width and 4 m (13 ft) in length. The one-piece iron rims for chariot wheels were probably a Celtic invention. Apart from the iron wheel rims and iron fittings of the hub, it was constructed from wood and wicker-work. In some instances, iron rings reinforced the joints. Another Celtic innovation was the free-hanging axle, suspended from the platform with rope. This resulted in a much more comfortable ride on bumpy terrain. There is evidence from French coins of a leather 'suspension' system for the central box, and a complex system of knotted cords for its attachment; this has informed recent working reconstructions by archaeologists.

British chariots were open in front, had a curved wall behind, often had seats and sometimes had scythes on the wheels. Julius Caesar provides the only significant eyewitness report of British chariot warfare: "XXXIII. --Their mode of fighting with their chariots is this: firstly, they drive about in all directions and throw their weapons and generally break the ranks of the enemy with the very dread of their horses and the noise of their wheels; and when they have worked themselves in between the troops of horse, leap from their chariots and engage on foot. The charioteers in the meantime withdraw some little distance from the battle, and so place themselves with the chariots that, if their masters are overpowered by the number of the enemy, they may have a ready retreat to their own troops. Thus they display in battle the speed of horse, [together with] the firmness of infantry; and by daily practice and exercise attain to such expertness that they are accustomed, even on a declining and steep place, to check their horses at full speed, and manage and turn them in an instant and run along the pole, and stand on the yoke, and thence betake themselves with the greatest celerity to their chariots again. " [3]

Chariots play an important role in Irish mythology surrounding the hero Cu Chulainn. The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings Cúchulainn /kuːˈxʊlɪnʲ/ ( ( Irish for "Hound of Culann " also spelled Cú Chulainn, Cú Chulaind, Cúchulain, or The Celts in the Bronze Age used an ancient four-spoked wheel design called a sun cross or wheel cross to represent the chariot of the sun. The sun cross, a Cross inside a Circle, is one of the oldest and most widespread of symbols [4]

Sculpture by Thomas Thornycroft of Boudica and her daughters in her chariot, addressing her troops before the battle
Sculpture by Thomas Thornycroft of Boudica and her daughters in her chariot, addressing her troops before the battle

Chariots could also be used for ceremonial purposes. Thomas Thornycroft (1815&mdash1885 was a British engineer and sculptor Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d According to Tacitus (Annals 14. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Annals, or in Latin, Annales, is a history book by Tacitus covering the reign of the four Roman Emperors succeeding 35), Boudica, queen of the Iceni and a number of other tribes in a formidable uprising against the occupying Roman forces, addressed her troops from a chariot in 61 CE:

"Boudicca curru filias prae se vehens, ut quamque nationem accesserat, solitum quidem Britannis feminarum ductu bellare testabatur"
Boudicca, with her daughters before her in a chariot, went up to tribe after tribe, protesting that it was indeed usual for Britons to fight under the leadership of women. Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d The Iceni or Eceni were a Brythonic Tribe who inhabited an area of Britain corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk

The last mention of chariotry in battle seems to be at the Battle of Mons Graupius, somewhere in modern Scotland, in 84 AD. According to Tacitus, the Battle of Mons Graupius took place in 83 or 84 AD. From Tacitus (Agricola 1. Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. 35 -36) "The plain between resounded with the noise and with the rapid movements of chariots and cavalry. " The chariots did not win even their initial engagement with the Roman auxiliaries: "Meantime the enemy's cavalry had fled, and the charioteers had mingled in the engagement of the infantry. "

Southern Europe

The earliest records of chariots are the arsenal inventories of the Mycenaean palaces, as described in Linear B tablets from the 15th-14th centuries BC. Linear B is a script that was used for writing Mycenaean, an early form of Greek. The tablets distinguish between "assembled" and "disassembled" chariots.

Herodotus reports that chariots were widely used in the Pontic-Caspian steppe by the Sigynnae. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged Sea. The Sigynnae were an obscure people of antiquity They are variously located by ancient authors

The only Etruscan chariot found intact dates to ca. The Monteleone chariot is an Etruscan Chariot dated to ca 530 BC. 530 BC, and was uncovered as part of a chariot burial at Monteleone di Spoleto. Chariot burials are Tombs in which the deceased was buried together with his Chariot, usually including his (more rarely her Horses and other possessions Monteleone di Spoleto (in Antiquity the Roman town of Brufa) is a town and Comune of Italy, in the Province of Perugia in southeast Umbria Currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art [2], it is decorated with bronze plates decorated with detailed low-relief scenes, commonly interpreted as depicting episodes from the life of Achilles [3]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City, "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. Possibly unique to Etruscan chariots, the Monteleone chariot's wheels have nine spokes. As part of a chariot burial, the Monteleone chariot may have been intended primarily for ceremonial use and may not be representative of Etruscan chariots in general.

Greece

The Chariot of Zeus (1879 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church)
The Chariot of Zeus (1879 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church)

The classical Greeks had a (still not very effective) cavalry, and the rocky terrain of the Greek mainland was unsuited for wheeled vehicles. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on The country of Greece is located in southeastern Europe, on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Consequently, in Greece (as later in Rome) the chariot was never used to any extent in war. Nevertheless, the chariot retained a high status and memories of its era were handed down in epic poetry. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation The vehicles were used in games and processions, notably for races at the Olympic and Panathenaic Games and other public festivals in ancient Greece, in hippodromes and in contests called agons. The Ancient Olympic Games, originally referred to as simply the Olympic Games (Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες Olympiakoi Agones) were a series of Athletic Panathenaic Games were a set of games held every four years in Athens in Ancient Greece. A Hippodrome (Gr from hippos, horse and dromos, race course was a course provided by the Greeks for Horse racing and Chariot racing AGON is a series of Episodic Adventure games for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows by Private Moon Studios. They were also used in ceremonial functions, as when a paranymph, or friend of a bridegroom, went with him in a chariot to fetch the bride home. A paranymph is a ceremonial assistant and or coach in a ceremony

Chariot races were held in all pan Hellenic games. The statue of this driver was found at Delphi.
Chariot races were held in all pan Hellenic games. The statue of this driver was found at Delphi. Delphi ( Greek,) ( pronounce and dialectal forms) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western

Greek chariots were made to be drawn by two horses attached to a central pole. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. If two additional horses were added, they were attached on each side of the main pair by a single bar or trace fastened to the front or prow of the chariot, as may be seen on two prize vases in the British Museum from the Panathenaic Games at Athens, Greece, in which the driver is seated with feet resting on a board hanging down in front close to the legs of the horses. The vase (ˈveɪs /ˈveɪz/ or/ˈvɑːz/ is an open container often used to hold cut Flowers It can be made from a number of materials including Ceramics and The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. Panathenaic Games were a set of games held every four years in Athens in Ancient Greece. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's The biga itself consists of a seat resting on the axle, with a rail at each side to protect the driver from the wheels. Greek chariots appear to have lacked any other attachment for the horses, which would have made turning difficult.

The body or basket of the chariot rested directly on the axle (called beam) connecting the two wheels. An axle is a central shaft for a rotating Wheel or Gear. In some cases the axle may be fixed in position with a bearing or Bushing There was no suspension, making this an uncomfortable form of transport. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, Shock absorbers and linkages that connects a Vehicle to its Wheels Suspension At the front and sides of the basket was a semicircular guard about 3 ft (1 m) high, to give some protection from enemy attack. At the back the basket was open, making it easy to mount and dismount. There was no seat, and generally only enough room for the driver and one passenger.

The chariot of Gaia depicted on a sarcophagus
The chariot of Gaia depicted on a sarcophagus

The central pole was probably attached to the middle of the axle, though it appears to spring from the front of the basket. At the end of the pole was the yoke, which consisted of two small saddles fitting the necks of the horses, and fastened by broad bands round the chest. A yoke is a wooden beam which is used between a pair of Oxen to allow them to pull a load (oxen almost always work in pairs Tack is a term used to describe any of the various equipment and accessories worn by Horses in the course of their use as domesticated Animals Saddles stirrups Besides this the harness of each horse consisted of a bridle and a pair of reins. A bridle is a piece of equipment used to control a Horse. The bridle fits over a horse's head and has the purpose of controlling the horse Reins are items of Horse tack, used to direct a Horse or other animal used for riding or Driving.

The reins were mostly the same as those in use in the 19th century, and were made of leather and ornamented with studs of ivory or metal. The reins were passed through rings attached to the collar bands or yoke, and were long enough to be tied round the waist of the charioteer to allow for defense. A horse collar is a part of a Horse harness device used to distribute load around a Horse 's neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plow

The wheels and basket of the chariot were usually of wood, strengthened in places with bronze or iron. They had from four to eight spokes and tires of bronze or iron.

Most other nations of this time had chariots of similar design to the Greeks, the chief differences being the mountings.

According to Greek mythology the chariot was invented by Erichthonius of Athens to conceal his feet, which were those of a dragon. King Erichthonius (also written Erichthonios, Ancient Greek:) an early ruler of Athens, was according to some legends, autochthonous [5]

The most notable appearance of the chariot in Greek mythology occurs when Phaëton, the son of Helios, in an attempt to drive the chariot of the sun, managed to set the earth on fire. In Greek mythology, Phaëton or Phaethon (ˈfeɪətn or /ˈfeɪəθən/ (Φαέθων "shining" was the son of Helios ( Phoebus In Greek mythology the Sun was personified as Helios (ˈhiliˌɑs ( Ἥλιος Latinized as Helius) This story led to the archaic meaning of a phaeton as one who drives a chariot or coach, especially at a reckless or dangerous speed. Plato, in his Chariot Allegory, depicted a chariot drawn by two horses, one well behaved and the other troublesome, representing opposite impulses of human nature; the task of the charioteer, representing reason, was to stop the horses from going different ways and to guide them towards enlightenment. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Plato, in his dialogue Phaedrus (sections 246a - 254e uses the Chariot Allegory to explain his view of the human soul

Roman Empire

A winner of a Roman chariot race.
A winner of a Roman chariot race. Chariot racing (ἁρματοδρομία/armatodromia was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Sports Chariot

The Romans probably borrowed chariot racing from the Etruscans, who would themselves had borrowed it either from the Celts or from the Greeks, but the Romans were also influenced directly by the Greeks especially after they conquered mainland Greece in 146 BC. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial In the Roman Empire, chariots were not used for warfare, but for chariot racing, especially in circuses, or for triumphal processions, when they could be drawn by as many as ten horses or even by dogs, tigers, or ostriches. Chariot racing (ἁρματοδρομία/armatodromia was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Sports Chariot The Roman Circus was a large open-air venue used for public events in the ancient Roman Empire. There were four divisions, or factions, of charioteers, distinguished by the color of their costumes: the red, blue, green and white teams. The main centre of chariot racing was the Circus Maximus[6], situated in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine Hills in Rome. The Circus Maximus ( Latin for greatest circus, in Italian Circo Massimo) is an ancient Hippodrome and mass entertainment The Palatine Hill ( Latin: Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome The Aventine Hill is one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built The track could hold 10 chariots, and the two sides of the track were separated by a raised median termed the spina. Chariot races continued to enjoy great popularity in Byzantine times, in the Hippodrome of Constantinople, even after the Olympic Games had been disbanded, until their decline after the Nika riots in the 6th century. The Hippodrome of Constantinople (Sultanahmet Meydanı At Meydanı was a horse-racing track that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games The Nika riots (Στάση του Νίκα or Nika revolt, took place over the course of a week in Constantinople in 532.

An ancient Roman car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast together with the horses drawing it was called a quadriga, from the Latin quadrijugus (of a team of four). The term sometimes meant instead the four horses without the chariot or the chariot alone. A three-horse chariot, or the three-horse team drawing it, was a triga, from trijugus (of a team of three).

Russian Tachanka

Russian WWI tachanka captured by the Germans and put on display in Berlin
Russian WWI tachanka captured by the Germans and put on display in Berlin

It might be said that the chariot was briefly revived during the Russian civil war of 1918–1920, when the "tachanka", a cart or wagon with a machine-gun mounted on it, enjoyed a limited tactical success in the Red Army. The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed The tachanka (тача́нка was a horse-drawn Machine gun platform usually a cart or an open wagon with a Heavy machine gun installed in the back "CARTS" redirects here For the transportation system see Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or Chautauqua CARTS. A wagon (in British English, sometimes waggon) or dray is a heavy four-wheeled Vehicle. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Since the gun had to be pointed away from the horses, it operated by firing in a direction opposite or lateral to the direction in which the tachanka was moving. One man drove the horses, while another, or a team of two, operated the gun.

This may have been done for the sake of a morale-boosting film but its practical effect when firing on the move, would be negligible as until its ordinary, non-artillery wheels collapsed or a horse was shot, it would be bouncing about too much to be of any use. The artillery wheel was developed for use on Gun carriages when it was found that the lateral forces involved in Horse artillery manoeuvres caused normally-constructed Inspection of the photograph shows that the weapon shown in the taczanka article was designed in the same way as a horse artillery carriage. In other words it was designed to accompany or to just precede cavalry, to halt and to suppress enemy infantry fire while the cavalry approached.

It is interesting to note that, in the photograph, the gun carriage has an artillery wheel but the limber has not. A limber is a two-wheeled Cart designed to support the trail of an Artillery piece, allowing it to be towed In 1898, Vickers, Sons and Maxim were making a four-horse limber which towed a 37 mm naval machine gun on a carriage. At the same time they had a two-horse gun carriage which carried a limited supply of its own ammunition for artillery support and a one-horse carriage similarly with some of its own ammunition. These latter guns were Vickers-Maxim . 303 inch weapons.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Early Iron Age Armies.Library of Xenograg the Sorcerer. Chariot burials are Tombs in which the deceased was buried together with his Chariot, usually including his (more rarely her Horses and other possessions Chariot racing (ἁρματοδρομία/armatodromia was one of the most popular ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Sports Chariot Development First depictions of four wheeled Wagons pulled by semi-domesticated Onagers and other available animals come from the Sumerians Against infantry Ratha ( Sanskrit rátha, Avestan raθa) is the Indo-Iranian term for the Spoked wheel Chariot Temple cars are Chariots used to carry idols of Hindu gods. The car pulling is usually on festival days where many folks pull the cart
  2. ^ Raulwing 2000
  3. ^ The Project Gutenberg EBook of "De Bello Gallico" and Other Commentaries by Caius Julius Caesar, translated by W. A. MacDevitt (1915).
  4. ^ Symbols.com - Symbol 29:1.
  5. ^ Brewer, E. Cobham. Dictionary of Phrase & Fable. Char’iot. Bartleby. com: Great Books Online -- Encyclopedia, Dictionary, Thesaurus and hundreds more. Retrieved March 05, 2008.
  6. ^ The Charioteer of Delphi : Circus Maximus. The Roman Mysteries books by Caroline Lawrence.

References

Further reading

External links

Dictionary

chariot

-noun

  1. a two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle, used in Bronze Age and Early Iron Age warfare
  2. a light four-wheeled carriage used for ceremonial or pleasure purposes
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