Chariots in Ancient Europe

The chariot, probably invented in the Near East, became one of the most innovative weaponry in Bronze Age warfare. It seems that the Achaeans adopt the chariot for use in warfare in the late 16th century BC as attested in some gravestones as well as seal and ring. The use of the chariot was more likely diffused in the Greek mainland from the Near East after the Middle Bronze Age as a result of the Central and East Europe migration flows and Achaeans' trade contacts with those regions.

Mesopotamian Sailboat

MESOPOTAMIAN SAILBOATS

Mesopotamian civilization was one of the first civilizations to flourish. They were the inventors of wheels, cuneiform, and sailboats. Sailboats were of utmost importance to them as transportation was essential to their culture. Read this article to learn more.

Five thousand years ago Mesopotamians started using sailing boats. Since Mesopotamia was situated between two famous rivers, namely the Euphrates and the Tigris, they needed water transportation for travel and trade. Some of the important items they are credited with inventing include wheels, chariots, sailboats and cuneiform. These are just some of the contributions by the Mesopotamians to the modern world. All this and more was around four to five thousand years ago.

A civilization flourishes based on its trade and commerce, and Mesopotamia was no exception. They wanted to set up trade relationships with nearby cities and countries. These were in the days before road routes were built making transportation of goods by land routes hectic and difficult. Therefore, they had to figure out an alternative mode of transportation for goods and people. This came in the form of water transportation, and thus the first boats were invented.

They were simple wooden boats that would carry people and goods downstream and then back upstream. But boats need people to navigate and guide them across rough waters, so the solution of having a vessel carries their goods and people had to be refined. Thus sailboats were invented. They were primitive in design, but the sailboats helped the Mesopotamians in trade and export.

Egyptian's Ancient Chariot

EGYPTIAN’S CHARIOT

The chariot is a type of cart using animals, mostly horses to move the vehicle. Chariots were used for war as portable archery platforms and also used for hunting or racing for sport, and as a main vehicle of many ancient peoples. The original chariot was a fast, light, open, two-wheeled passage lead by two or more horses that is attached together side by side. The chariot, driven by a charioteer, was used for ancient warfare during the bronze and the iron ages. The vehicle was used for travel, in processions, games, and races after it had been set aside by other vehicles for military purposes. The chariot and horse were introduced to Egypt by the Hyksos invaders in the 16th century BC. It has been used for land transportation since then. Chariots are the key to Egyptians military success.

The Egyptian horse drawn chariot typically consisted of a light wooden semicircular framework with an open back surmounting an axle and two wheels of four or six spokes.

Some investigation of ancient chariots can tell that the Egyptians greatly made the design of this vehicle from better than the Middle East. However, while they certainly did make improvements to certain parts of the chariot, maybe it is made for different purpose. For example, the Egyptian chariot had a metal covering for the axes, which reduced friction, and this was certainly an improvement. Also, some wooden parts were strengthened by covering them with metal sleeves.

The chariot was built of pieces of wood which had been bent into the required shape possibly by immersing them in boiling hot water for several hours, bending them and then letting them dry. Various kinds of wood were used: elm, ash for the axles and sycamore for the foot board.

The Egyptians knew two types of chariots. These consisted of the four wheeled chariot which, by the late 18th and early 19th dynasties, were mostly abandoned for the superior six spoke vehicles. The six spoked wheels could be made lighter and were better supported than the heavier four spoked wheels, making the whole chariot more reliable.

The spokes of the wheels were made by bending six pieces of wood into a V-shape. These were glued together in such a way that every spoke was composed of two halves of two V-shaped pieces, forming a hexagonal star. The tips of the V's were fastened to the hub by wet cattle intestines, which hardened when they dried.

The tires were made of sections of wood, tied to the wheel with leather lashings which passed through slots in the tire sections. The thongs didn't come in contact with the ground, making the chariot more reliable by reducing the wear and tear. German carpenters who reconstructed such a chariot needed about six hundred hours to complete it.