A STONE RELIEF DEPICTS A
CHARIOT CRUSHING AN ENEMY.
IT WAS CREATED IN THE TENTH
TO EIGHTH CENTURIES B.C. IN
THE NEO-HITTITE KINGDOM OF
KARKEMISH, SYRIA. MUSEUM
OF ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS,
ANKARA, TURKEY
EGYPTIAN The introduction of the light chariot
in Egypt has been attributed to the Hyksos,
who invaded the Nile Delta around 1650 b.c.
Lighter than the Hittite model, and crewed
only by two men (a driver and an archer), their
lightness could be an advantage when needing
to maneuver quickly on the battlefield.
NEO-ASSYRIAN By the ninth
century b.c., the Assyrians started
to make war chariots sturdier, at the
expense of speed. Their crews could
number between three or four men,
whose firepower and bulk would make
for an intimidating sight.
HITTITE The use of horses to
draw two-wheeled battle chariots
began during the rise of the Hittite
Old Kingdom around 1650 b.c.
Later, massed ranks of three-man
chariots became a feared symbol
of Hittite power in their 13th-
century b.c. heyday.
PETER HORREE/ALAMY/ACI