Lecture 2: 1274 B.C. Kadesh—Greatest Chariot Battle
The Egyptian Army and Its Technology
x The Egyptian army consisted of four divisions of infantry, each
composed of 5,000 men and several thousand chariots. Modern
estimates suggest that perhaps 500 chariots accompanied each of
the divisions and constituted the elite strike force.x The three components necessary for an effective war chariot are
the spoked wheel, horses, and a reasonably powerful bow. These
technologies seem to have come together in the 2nd millennium B.C.
and spread via nomadic Indo-European tribes throughout Eurasia.x %\WKHWLPHRI5DPHVVHV(J\SWLDQFKDULRWVZHUHKLJKO\UH¿QHG
war machines.
o They emphasized speed and mobility and favored a lightweight
design with six spoked wheels with narrow rims, a D-shaped
cab made of ox hide stretched over a light wooden frame with
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horses were yoked.Egyptian chariots are frequently and vividly depicted in Egyptian art, giving us a
good idea of their appearance and construction.© William McKelvie/iStock/Thinkstock.