What is chariot: origin, application in ancient countries

Chariot is the oldest kind of military equipment. What is the chariot, as it was used by the inhabitants of ancient countries? About this and many other things, read in the article below.

The invention of chariots

Before proceeding to a detailed analysis of this ancient technique, it is necessary to find out an important thing. Not everyone knows what a chariot is, what it is. In fact, it's a cart that had two or four wheels, which harnessed the horses. A man was driving a cart, called a charioteer. And chariots were used in combat operations, sports and ritual marches.

Scientists suggest that the chariots were invented in the fourth millennium BC by the Sumerians. They already knew how to control animals from the body and invented the wheel. The Sumerians initially harnessed donkeys to the chariot. Gradually the wagon increased its functionality. If its first function was transport, then later it became a mobile fire center in combat (with it it was easy to throw darts and fire arrows). Gradually, a handy invention migrated to other countries. Many peoples learned what a chariot was and began to apply this innovation.

Egyptian Chariots

Approximately from the second millennium BC the Egyptians began to use the invention of the Sumerians. Already under the rule of the Hyksos pharaohs, the chariots became the main strike force of the troops. Known is the largest in the history of the chariot battle - the Battle of Kadesh, which was attended by more than seven thousand chariots. Egyptian chariots were very fast and maneuverable, they broke into the enemy camp and swept from the flank to the flank, crushing everything in its path. With the development of horse riding, the battle vehicle in Ancient Egypt began to be used less, although the cavalry could not replace it by the force of strikes. But the cost of horsemen is many times cheaper than chariots.

Chain-Servile Chariots

According to scientists, this kind of chariot appears in 479-401 BC. E. What is the chariot crescent and how does it differ from its predecessors? Its main function is not a powerful military strike, but a psychological attack. It had to exert influence, reduce the fighting spirit of the infantry of the enemy in a frontal collision. In this regard, it was necessary to create a new kind of troops - fearless, not afraid to rush towards the enemy and death. The wagon was designed for 4 horses, had large wheels. Sickles measuring about 90 cm were attached to the axes of the wheels. The loss of the enemy from the use of the chariot chariot was not great, but the psychological effect they gave. Due to the lack of universality, the use of military wagons has, over time, come to naught.

Chariots of Ancient Greece

Initially in Greece, the chariot performed only a transport role. She brought the warrior in armor to the battlefield. If the warrior did not perish, the chariot with the charioteer took him back. It happened that they were used in combat, but it was dangerous. For the cart it is necessary to have an even battlefield, since the drawbar on the irregularities can break, then the horses will bear. This is fraught with the death of a warrior who is in a chariot.

The ancient chariot of Greece was very often used outside the battlefield. The Greeks liked to organize chariot runs, later they even entered the Olympic program.

Along with the progress came new technical combat novelties, which moved the chariots back to the background, and then completely superseded them. By the end of their existence, these wagons have already become not so much participants in military operations, but as indicators of the nobility and wealth of their master. To keep only one chariot, it took a lot of land (for horses) and personnel caring for animals and the chariot itself. Soon the content of all this became unprofitable, and the chariots sank into oblivion.