The New Warfarefighters, like their counterparts in the Fertile Crescent and in
Egypt, were archers. 39
In the early days of chariotry the number of chariots was
apparently quite small, as infantry continued to be the king's
principal arm. In such circumstances, chariots were assigned
to harry the flanks and the rear of an infantry and then, once a
formation had been broken up, to pursue and kill the individ-
ual infantrymen. 40 Eventually, chariotry became the king's
primary force, and tactics then required a furious rush of
massed chariots against the chariots of the enemy. Whereas an
infantryman required little training, and could be replaced
without much difficulty, the charioteers (both the driver and
the fighter) were valued professionals. Extraordinary skill was
required of the driver and especially of the warrior. Amenhotep
II, an unusually adept and practiced chariot fighter, boasted on
a stele that from a fast-moving chariot his arrows had hit a
series of four copper targets, spaced at intervals of thirty-four
feet, each of the arrows piercing the target and protruding a
palm's breadth out the back. 41 The chariot fighter was neces-
sarily a strong and athletic young man, with superior hand-eye
coordination.
Expertise was essential not only for fighting from chariots
and for the manufacture of the vehicles, but also for the breed-
ing and training of useful chariot horses. Tall, long-legged
horses were, of course, preferred, since a horse's stride is di-
- Houwink ten Gate, "The History of Warfare according to Hit-
tite Sources," 56, points out that in the Old Hittite Law Code the military
units that contained "archers, carpenters and LU.MESH.ISH" (translated var-
iously as "pages," "squires," or "drivers") can only refer to chariot units.
On pages 59—60, Houwink ten Gate notes that the so-called "Court Chron-
icle" (paragraphs 14—17) "describes the training in archery at the court of
the Hittite King" in connection with the corps of charioteers. - S. Yeivin, "Canaanite and Hittite Strategy in the Second Half
of the Second Millenium BC.," JNES 9 (1950): 101—107, concluded that
chariotry was often kept in ambush, as a king hoped to draw the enemy
infantry into an exposed position. - For John Wilson's translation of the stele, see ANET, 244.
89