BLOG-09 Chariot Development
This is the blog a number of readers desired. They asked for additional chariot history. Chariot history oscillates between two factors: speed and power. Ideally you would have both, but physics and, therefore, engineering, does not work that way.
Like the twentieth century version of axis-allied arms race, the ancient one was between Egypt and the Hittites in central Turkey. They traded superiority back and forth several times.
The first true chariot design used by the Hyksos to conquer Egypt had wheels with four spokes and the riding basket centered over the axle. I had already provided those pictures, so I will not repeat it. It provided much greater speed than solid wheels. The weight of the men in the basket was born by the wheels. However, for every advantage, there is a usually a corresponding drawback. It disadvantage was that every small unevenness in the ground was transmitted through the axle to the basket and therefore straight to the archer. That greatly reduced the accuracy of his aim and led to arrows flying off-target. It also transmitted to unevenness to the horses, reducing the speed they could run.
The picture below is the second chariot. It moved the riding basket forward. The created a “shock-absorber” effect, decoupling the unevenness of the ground from the horses. Now the tongue no longer jerked them back and forth at every bump. The advantage was that they could run at full speed. The disadvantage was that the basket design transferred a significant portion of the weight of the two-man crew to the horses. The smaller horses the Egyptians used could not sustain long combat. They became exhausted.
In the initial battles between Egyptians and Hittites, the Egyptians won handily, maneuvering at a speed and quickness the slower Hittites could not match. During their history, the only Egyptian advances were adding more spokes and a larger size to the wheels. Their advantage: speed.
The Hittites learned the lesson. First, they used a larger breed of horse. Second, they moved the basket back over the axel. Now their horses did not have the weight of the men to carry and the Hittites could eventually move to a larger crew basket holding three men. It was true that a Hittite horse could not run as fast as an Egyptian horse. However, by not having to carry the weight of the crew, Hittite horses were almost as fast as Egyptian horses pulling a chariot loaded with the weight of its two men. Another advantage was that the Hittite horses did not become as fatigued as Egyptian ones. Their engineering advances further enlarged the wheels to reduce the amount the unevenness that the ground affected the archers. Advantage: power.
They traded superior advantages back and forth several times. The Egyptians emphasized speed; the Hittites power. The key is not that you need power – you do. The key is how you apply that power. For that, speed also counts.
Eventually, both were supplanted by cavalry mounted on an even larger breed of horse.