Chariot Making
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To our knowledge, the first reported chariot comes from about 2000 B.C.E. in Mesopotamia, although the Egyptian chariot is the most famous today. The chariot was made possible through the invention of the wheel. It is thought that the creation of the wheel was that of a single unknown inventor of the Sumerian Culture in Mesopotamia. It was invented sometime around 3500-3000 B.C.E. The chariot paved its way into the Egyptian culture around 1500 B.C.E. The Egyptian chariot was unique in that it was constructed to be handsome and light in weight. This was probably due to a lack of wood along the Nile River. |
| The chariots were better designed than their predecessors used by the Assyrians. The Egyptians designed the chariot with the human standing directly over the axle of the chariot. By accomplishing this there was less stress put on the horse(s) because the rider’s weight was distributed in a way that the chariot carried the bulk of the weight rather than the horse. |
The original chariot had two wheels that were squeaky. Because they creaked they were heard wherever they went.. The Egyptians didn’t like this idea, and they lined the hubs and covered the axle with copper or bronze plates. The Egyptian design of the chariot consisted of a number of new and unique ideas to make their chariots stand out. The hub was long and slender, and the spokes were light and nicely shaped. The fellies were one to and held by a spoke. The fellies, inserted in the spoke, were bent, shaped and joined with a long lap. The tires were made of wood and were shaped in sections. They were attached to the wheel with lashing made of rawhide. This lashing technique was unique in that they passed it through slots in the tire sections. The reasoning for this was to keep the lashing from coming in contact with the ground, thus extending its life by lessening the wear and tear.
A pole that was attached to a yoke pulled the chariots. The yoke was attached to the horses’ back by saddle-pads using girths around the bellies to hold them in place. The Egyptians had two types of chariots, the main difference between the two was the wheels. The Egyptian war-chariot had six spokes while the carriage chariots had only four. The reasoning behind this difference is probably due to the extra support needed in the war-chariot because the stress that can be put on them is higher than that of the carriage chariot.
References:
Tunis, Edwin. Wheels; A Pictorial History, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1955 pg.13-15.
Author: Chris Carpenter
