ALL CHARIOT ILLUSTRATIONS: SOL 90/ALBUM
QUICKER,
LIGHTER,
DEADLIER
Appearing in the third millennium b.c.
in Mesopotamia, early chariots were
slow and heavy—designed for hauling,
not fighting. The emergence of spoked
wheels in the second millennium b.c.
enabled the building of lighter, faster
models. As well as military use,
chariots were flaunted as displays of
royal strength and power.SUMERIAN Developing from wheeled wagons,
war chariots became widespread in Mesopotamian
cities of the third millennium b.c. They would
have been pulled not by horses, but by donkeys
or mules. Four wheels were made of solid, heavy
boards, which made maneuvering cumbersome.
Depictions of Sumerian chariots often feature a
quiver mounted on the exterior.