- Adriana Emiliozzi –
Figure 41.10 The reconstruction of the parade Chariot I from Castel San Mariano
(project by A. Emiliozzi, drawing by G. Corsi).Figure 41.11 The parade chariot I from Castel San Mariano. A segment of the bronze sheeting of the
neck yoke. From Emiliozzi 1997, p. 222, fi g. 13. Photograph E. Bianchi.In the construction of the fast chariots the tops of the railings are never covered in leather
so that the top could function as hand-holds. In the parade chariots, however, as they are
intended to be used at walking speed only, the railings do not need to function as hand-
holds: for the charioteer, the reins are suffi cient to help him balance, he can lean his body
against the front panel and the second occupant can balance himself without need of solid
hand-grips because he can lean his hand on the side panel or on the charioteer’s shoulder,
as shown in the images of processions of chariots (Fig. 41.12).^9
The front rail, whether covered only by leather or enriched with attached ornaments,
takes the form of an inverted “U” and rises above the front curve of the U-shaped fl oor
frame for a consistent fi t (around 80–82 cm). In the arrangement of the side rails one
notes instead a showy innovation: they contract toward the front rail and are proportioned
at two-thirds of their height. At the place they originally occupied behind the axle,
there is sometimes introduced a small rectangular panel, as if to compensate for the
open space; we are actually dealing with a non-functional appendage, which in the more
luxurious chariots is covered in bronze sheathing.^10 This modifi cation seems also to affect
the dimensions of the wheels, which in the reconstructed examples given thus far seem to
be smaller, and the length of the chassis is re-proportioned to their diameter. We cannot
determine if we are dealing with a general reorganization designed for the function of
parade chariots, given that in the sixth century bc the same characteristics appear in