Introduction
Our look at the history of the Chariot begins with an examination of some of the ancient cultures that harnessed the power of the horse and wheel put together. The chariot probably originated in the heart of the Old World Web, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In this and the surrounding areas, the Sumerian culture thrived. Because this is one of the first centers of culture and innovation, it is quite possible that the Sumerian people developed the first chariots. A key artifact, the Royal Standard of Ur, depicts the earliest discovered use of the chariot in war times, circa 2500 BCE. The chariots were heavy, had four wheels, and were pulled by teams of onagers, related to modern day donkeys. Because of their size and unwieldiness, they were probably not used directly in battle, but used to haul supplies or ferry troops around.
The Andronovo culture was centered east of the Ural Mountains in southern Russia and northern Pakistan. In 1914 several graves were discovered near the village of Andronovo, containing human remains and several artifacts. Among the artifacts were the remains of several spoked wheels that have been dated to approximately 2000 BCE. These are the oldest discovered spoked wheels to this date. During this time period, the Sumerian culture was quite powerful, and had extended their influence north to the Caspian Sea. It is quite likely that the two cultures came in contact with each other, and possible that the Sumerians saw the use of the spoked wheel in Andronovo culture, and then adapted it to their own.
By 1200 BCE the chariot had reached China and the Shang Dynasty. The chariot was in use much later than in western Asia, and there could be two possible explanations for this. The first, the technology had to cover a lot of hostile territory to travel from western Asia and Russia all the way over to China on the Pacific Ocean. A second explanation could be Chinese culture itself. Historically, they have been a very conservative people. It is possible that they had access to the chariot, and simply chose not to use it on a wide scale. The Chinese changed very little in the overall design of the light chariot. The wheels had between 18-26 spokes instead of the more typical 4-8 in west Asia, and the axles was mounted in the center of the chariot box while they were mounted on the back in the west. The chariot was used widely in war and in the society. Many graves have been discovered where chariots were featured prominently.
We next can look at the use of the chariot in warfare. Chariots in this era were usually either heavy or light in nature. The heavy chariots were used as defensive instruments and in support of large groups of soldiers, whereas the light chariots are what we think of when we imagine a swift, agile chariot streaking across the battlefield, raining down missiles and charging into the enemy lines. Chariots remained central to warfare for some 2500 years, and were crucial to certain battles in the ancient world which had widespread consequences for hundreds of years. We examine the battles at Kadesh (1274BC), Guagamela (331BC) and Mons Graupius (84AD). All of these battles lead had a significant impact on the state of the world in their day, including the defeat of the Persian Empire by the Macedonians, the conquering of the British Isles by the Romans, and even the establishment of new capital cities.
Although chariots were primarily used in war, they still left a noticeable impact in the culture of many of the civilizations that they were used by. The Circus Maximus in Rome remains a major tourist attraction to this day; a structure that was built due to the prominence of chariot racing in the ancient Roman Empire. Additionally, chariots are seen in many mythological beliefs. Cúchulainn is still the predominant mythological figure in Irish and Ulster lore, and he is always depicted on his chariot. This may be linked to the high place that the chariot and charioteers held in pre-Roman expansion days. We also see many cases of burials in chariots, both in the British Isles and sites of the Andronovo people.