In the Ancient World, civilizations as far apart as the Celts and the Indians all had one thing in common: the use of chariots. Chariots were generally able to contain two people, the driver and the archer, but some held three people inside. Join me now as i compare chariots from the Fertile Crescent, Europe, and Asia.
Chariots really began back in the time of the Sumerians, who used a four wheeled wagon-like chariot. Instead of the use of horses, these "proto-chariots" were drawn by a team of domesticated asses. The wheels on these vehicles were not spoked like those of the Egyptians, but instead were a solid piece of wood with a bolt-like axle in them. As such, many historians highly doubt that these vehicles were used in battle, but more for supply transport. Below is an image of one of these "proto-chariots":
The Chariot of the Egyptians was a result of the Egyptians modifying captured chariots during the war with the Hyksos, who were an Asiatic people who had taken control of the Nile Delta. As such, Egyptian Chariots looked very much like the chariots seen in what is now the Holy Land. Egyptian Chariots were able to carry two people, but were much more mobile than other chariots at the time. Egyptian chariots were pitted against the more powerful three man chariots of the Hittite Empire during the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC. Below are images of Egyptian and Hittite Chariots:
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| An Egyptian Chariot |
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| A Hittite Three Man Chariot |
Chariots were also being used by the various princes and rajas in Ancient India. The Indians called the chariot a ratha, a word literally meaning wheel. The ratha was used by Indian warriors as a mobile firing platform, much like the other chariots in the Ancient World, but it was mainly used for shock attacks. The earliest depictions of the ratha date back to the Aryan invasions of India, somewhere around the second millennium BC. Below is an image of the ratha:
India was not the only Asian civilization to have chariots, for the Chinese had them as well. Remains of Chinese chariots have been found in royal graves dating to as early as the Shang Dynasty, which was active during the years 1556-1046 BC. Even in the magnificent tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, there have been discoveries of chariots, and the famed Terra Cotta Army has highly realistic sculptures of chariots being driven by charioteers. Below is an image of the Chinese chariot:
Chariots were also present in Europe too, especially under the Mycenaeans of Trojan War fame, and the Britons. The Mycenaean chariot was very much like the chariot used by the Egyptians, only it was covered in three layers of brine-infused leather covered by a layer of cow skin. Chariots have been discovered in Mycenaean beehive tombs, and are mentioned numerous times in Homer's Iliad. Below is an image of the Mycenaean chariot:
In Northern Europe, the Celts employed chariots of their own during battles. Unlike the "basket" shape of the Egyptian and Mycenaean chariots, the Celtic chariot was merely a platform on wheel with a half-moon shaped guard on either side of the platform. While in motion, the warrior would grab onto the half-moon pieces and use them to sturdy themselves as they killed their opponents, while the driver would sit down on the floor of the chariot. Below is an image of a Celtic chariot:
Chariots once ruled the battlefields of the Ancient World, but then civilizations outside of Britain and Persia quit using them. What happened to these vehicles that would spread so much fear and terror on the battlefield was that enemy infantry would begin to attack the horses, thus disabling the chariots and rendering the charioteers useless. Chariots were not forgotten, however, for the Greeks and the Romans, and later the Byzantines, enjoyed watching chariot races in special stadiums called Hippodromes. There, the once entirely militaristic vehicle became somewhat like a race car, and it was in this manner that chariots survived until 1453 AD, when the Byzantine Empire, all that remained of the Roman Empire's eastern provinces, fell at last to the Ottoman Turks, who had no interest in chariots or chariot racing. From Egypt to India, and all the way up to 1453 AD, the chariot had morphed and changed from a weapon into an entertainer, and it at last died as an entertainer to the Byzantines.
India was not the only Asian civilization to have chariots, for the Chinese had them as well. Remains of Chinese chariots have been found in royal graves dating to as early as the Shang Dynasty, which was active during the years 1556-1046 BC. Even in the magnificent tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, there have been discoveries of chariots, and the famed Terra Cotta Army has highly realistic sculptures of chariots being driven by charioteers. Below is an image of the Chinese chariot:
Chariots were also present in Europe too, especially under the Mycenaeans of Trojan War fame, and the Britons. The Mycenaean chariot was very much like the chariot used by the Egyptians, only it was covered in three layers of brine-infused leather covered by a layer of cow skin. Chariots have been discovered in Mycenaean beehive tombs, and are mentioned numerous times in Homer's Iliad. Below is an image of the Mycenaean chariot:
In Northern Europe, the Celts employed chariots of their own during battles. Unlike the "basket" shape of the Egyptian and Mycenaean chariots, the Celtic chariot was merely a platform on wheel with a half-moon shaped guard on either side of the platform. While in motion, the warrior would grab onto the half-moon pieces and use them to sturdy themselves as they killed their opponents, while the driver would sit down on the floor of the chariot. Below is an image of a Celtic chariot:
Chariots once ruled the battlefields of the Ancient World, but then civilizations outside of Britain and Persia quit using them. What happened to these vehicles that would spread so much fear and terror on the battlefield was that enemy infantry would begin to attack the horses, thus disabling the chariots and rendering the charioteers useless. Chariots were not forgotten, however, for the Greeks and the Romans, and later the Byzantines, enjoyed watching chariot races in special stadiums called Hippodromes. There, the once entirely militaristic vehicle became somewhat like a race car, and it was in this manner that chariots survived until 1453 AD, when the Byzantine Empire, all that remained of the Roman Empire's eastern provinces, fell at last to the Ottoman Turks, who had no interest in chariots or chariot racing. From Egypt to India, and all the way up to 1453 AD, the chariot had morphed and changed from a weapon into an entertainer, and it at last died as an entertainer to the Byzantines.
