chariot

(noun)

A two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle used in ancient warfare and racing. 

Related Terms

  • Oracle bone

Examples of chariot in the following topics:

  • Advancements Under the Shang

    • Military technology also advanced as horses were domesticated and chariots came into existence.
    • The chariot was military technology that allowed the Shang to excel at war.
    • A chariot burial site at Anyang (modern-day Henan) dates to the rule of King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty (c. 1200 BCE).
    • Oracle bone inscriptions show that the Shang used chariots as mobile command vehicles and in royal hunts.
    • Members of the royal household were often buried with a chariot, horses and a charioteer.
  • Alexander the Great

    • At the decisive encounter with Alexander at Gaugamela, Darius equipped his chariots with scythes on the wheels to break up the phalanx and equipped his cavalry with pikes.
    • Alexander in turn arranged a double phalanx, with the center advancing at an angle, which parted when the chariots bore down and reformed once they had passed.
  • Nubia and Ancient Culture

    • This painting shows Ramses II battling Nubians from his war chariot.
  • Society Under the Shang Dynasty

    • There were two subdivisions of the military: the infantry (foot soldiers) and the chariot warriors.
  • Sparta

    • Unlike Athenian women who wore heavy, concealing clothes and were rarely seen outside the house, Spartan women wore dresses (peplos) slit up the side to allow freer movement and moved freely about the city, either walking or driving chariots.
  • The Golden Age of India

    • The game of Chess also likely originated during this period, where its early form, Chaturanga, contained game pieces for infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots, which would each evolve into the modern pawn, knight, rook, and bishop, respectively.
  • The Hittites

    • The Hittite military made successful use of chariots.
  • The Assyrians

    • Its military had not only general troops, but charioteers, cavalry, bowmen, and lancers.
  • The Sumerians

    • Sumerians invented or improved a wide range of technology, including the wheel, cuneiform script, arithmetic, geometry, irrigation, saws and other tools, sandals, chariots, harpoons, and beer.
  • Art and Culture Under the Nerva-Antonines

    • Combining chariot racing, beast fights and close-quarters gladiatorial bloodshed, this gory spectacle reputedly left 11,000 dead (mostly slaves and criminals, not to mention the thousands of wild animals killed alongside them) and attracted a total of five million spectators over the course of the festival.
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