

Thus, the actions of well-trained infantry using the vulnerable sides of this type of weapon made it possible not only to defend themselves against chariots but also to force them to inflict serious damage on their own troops. In the battle of Magnesia, the attack of the seronos chariots of the Seleucid king Antiochus the Great was successfully repulsed by the soldiers of L. The Romans since the time of Julius Caesar have also developed effective methods to counter chariots. The person who invented the chariot would be surprised at how many tactics developed to use and defeat the chariot. Over the centuries, infantry developed methods of protection against attack by war chariots. In Assyria, there was a royal factory for the production of chariots, and strategic materials were brought from all over the world known to the Assyrians. There are indications that the Hittites accounted for one chariot for every 10 soldiers, but this is unlikely.Ĭhariots in their time were quite expensive and high-tech products. In the army of Carthage – one for 20 soldiers. In Egypt, the end of the II millennium – one for every 50 soldiers. In China and India, it was about one chariot per 100 soldiers. The number of chariots in an army could vary greatly. However, the chariot would cripple or kill a certain number of soldiers. The chariot flew into the ranks of the enemy soldiers and inevitably after that disappeared as a combat unit. However, during the period of the Persian state, tactics were developed – and a heavy version of the chariot was dispersed and sent to the enemy. The spread of the chariots use through history.

The high speed of the chariots allowed them in a high degree of probability not to be hit by retaliatory shots of the enemy.Ĭhariots were also used to deliver urgent messages in the battle, to transport wounded soldiers, for a relatively massive and quick transfer of infantry from one battlefield to another and for the movement of army commanders. They would then turn sharply and ride along the enemy’s formation, hitting them with weapons. They did not ram the enemy infantry, did not try to break the continuous formation of spearmen, swordsmen, and soldiers holding shields.ĭrawing analogies with modern military equipment, the chariot was like an infantry fighting vehicle – the chariots entered the battle first, they accelerated strongly and rode towards the enemy ranks, then at a distance shoot an arrow or throw a spear. The reconstruction of the stages of the battle on the chariots led to the conclusion that the chariots were never used as a tank-like vehicle. They could travel very fast at that time – about 40 km per hour. The chariots were as lightweight as possible, for less stress on the wheels. The war chariot first started to appear from 2000 BC and became one of the decisive factors in the conduct of hostilities. They were used to protect herds of animals, battle and reconnaissance. The chariot is a large two-wheeled carriage driven by horses. The earliest recorded stage of the use of chariots is the Sintashta culture about 4100 years ago.
