The Roman chariot was the supreme military weapon from 1700 BC to 500 BC, although it has been in use for much longer. It was lightly built, usually with two wheels drawn by one or more horses, and two people, one driver, and one fighter, usually using a bow or javelin. Although it was a powerful war weapon, chariots were also used for hunting and sporting purposes.
The first reference of charioteers in the civilized world actually comes from Syria around 1800 BC. Over a period of four centuries, the chariot became the preferred elite weapon either by direct migration, or by diffusion.
The chariot was the first mode of transportation that involved horses. Before it, horses were not used for transport, plowing, or warfare. Donkeys and and other animals were preferred in early civilizations.
The chariot became a moving platform from which soldiers could shoot at enemies. As mentioned earlier, bows, and javelins were the main weapons used by the fighter, while another person drove the chariot. The purpose was to be constantly moving, and attacking from a distance. This would make it a difficult target to hit.
The "compound bow", invented sometime during the second millennium BC, was the final step for making the chariot all the more deadly. Bows and arrows have been around long before the idea of a chariot took place in people's minds, but the new "compound bow" was able to hit targets accurately from up to 300m away, and could pierce armor from 100m away. It was made from two types of materials both on the inside, and outside. It became the preferred weapon for chariot riders, and future horseback riders. This weapon was so effective on the battlefield, that they were last used by the Chinese in the 19th century, well into the firearms age.
The true reason of what happened to the use of chariots in war in unknown, but most people believe that it was due to the fact that as deadlier weapons were invented, the need for chariots declined.
Eventually, all of Europe, the Middle East, India, and China, every ruler, from the chiefs of small villages, to the great pharaohs took the chariot as their master weapon. Soon, they all started depicted themselves riding chariots, waging wars, and having pictures of them on their tombs as a symbol of power. Due to the growing popularity of chariots, horses also became a military asset, and no longer a food source. Horse breeding became the key for these civilizations, and kings aspired to have the proper stables to supply their armies with chariots.
Arguably the most famous chariot battle was that of Kadesh (1294 BC). It was fought between two super powers of the time, Egypt and Hatti, where an estimated 50 chariots participated on each side. The small number of chariots compared to infantry troops is a good example of how effective the chariot was. Th China, the ration of infantry troops to chariots was twenty five to one.
Starting around 500 BC, the use for chariots slowly declined, even though the technology was just arriving in some parts of Europe. The use of horseback riding soon took the place of chariots. The first known forces mounting horses were those of the Scynthians who in the 7th century BC attacked the Assyrian empire on horseback. Secondly, because infantry, formerly helpless against chariots, became more sophisticated due to the development of iron weapons, and to new tactics in the phalanx formation. Fighting the invading Romans, the Celts were probably the last people who used chariots extensively, until around the fourth century AD.
The first reference of charioteers in the civilized world actually comes from Syria around 1800 BC. Over a period of four centuries, the chariot became the preferred elite weapon either by direct migration, or by diffusion.
The chariot was the first mode of transportation that involved horses. Before it, horses were not used for transport, plowing, or warfare. Donkeys and and other animals were preferred in early civilizations.
The chariot became a moving platform from which soldiers could shoot at enemies. As mentioned earlier, bows, and javelins were the main weapons used by the fighter, while another person drove the chariot. The purpose was to be constantly moving, and attacking from a distance. This would make it a difficult target to hit.
The "compound bow", invented sometime during the second millennium BC, was the final step for making the chariot all the more deadly. Bows and arrows have been around long before the idea of a chariot took place in people's minds, but the new "compound bow" was able to hit targets accurately from up to 300m away, and could pierce armor from 100m away. It was made from two types of materials both on the inside, and outside. It became the preferred weapon for chariot riders, and future horseback riders. This weapon was so effective on the battlefield, that they were last used by the Chinese in the 19th century, well into the firearms age.
The true reason of what happened to the use of chariots in war in unknown, but most people believe that it was due to the fact that as deadlier weapons were invented, the need for chariots declined.
Eventually, all of Europe, the Middle East, India, and China, every ruler, from the chiefs of small villages, to the great pharaohs took the chariot as their master weapon. Soon, they all started depicted themselves riding chariots, waging wars, and having pictures of them on their tombs as a symbol of power. Due to the growing popularity of chariots, horses also became a military asset, and no longer a food source. Horse breeding became the key for these civilizations, and kings aspired to have the proper stables to supply their armies with chariots.
Arguably the most famous chariot battle was that of Kadesh (1294 BC). It was fought between two super powers of the time, Egypt and Hatti, where an estimated 50 chariots participated on each side. The small number of chariots compared to infantry troops is a good example of how effective the chariot was. Th China, the ration of infantry troops to chariots was twenty five to one.
Starting around 500 BC, the use for chariots slowly declined, even though the technology was just arriving in some parts of Europe. The use of horseback riding soon took the place of chariots. The first known forces mounting horses were those of the Scynthians who in the 7th century BC attacked the Assyrian empire on horseback. Secondly, because infantry, formerly helpless against chariots, became more sophisticated due to the development of iron weapons, and to new tactics in the phalanx formation. Fighting the invading Romans, the Celts were probably the last people who used chariots extensively, until around the fourth century AD.