Chariots chariot ancient Egyptian society chariotry King’s military force weapon Egypt Hyksos archer bow arrow horse drawn War
In ancient Egyptian society, chariotry stands as an independent unit in the King’s military force. Chariots were first introduced as a weapon in Egypt by the Hyksos. The Egyptians developed their own design of the chariot. Chariots were originally invented in Mesopotamia and were initially drawn not by horse, but rather donkeys, mules, oxen and even goats. The early usage of chariots was mainly for transportation purposes. With technological improvements to their structure (such as a “cross-bar” form of wheel construction to reduce the vehicle's weight), the use of chariots for military purposes began. Chariots were effective in that their high speed, mobility and strength could not be matched by infantry at the time. They quickly became a powerful new weapon across the ancient Near East, used in a role similar to that of tanks in modern day warfare. Chariots were expensive, heavy and prone to breakdowns, yet in contrast with early cavalry, chariots offered a more stable platform for archers. Chariots were also effective for archery because of the relatively long bows used, and even after the invention of the composite bow the length of the bow was not significantly reduced. Such a bow was difficult to handle while on horseback. A chariot could also carry more ammunition than a single rider. However, the chariot also had several disadvantages, notably its size and its dependence on the right terrain. Chariots were not able to launch sudden strikes, because they made too much noise. It has been argued that early Egyptians may had no experience of breeding and training horses for military purposes, which may be a reason why so few cavalry served in ancient Egyptian military. In a field action, chariots usually delivered the first strike and were closely followed by infantry advancing to exploit the resulting breakthrough, somewhat similar to how an infantry operates behind a group of armed vehicles in modern warfare.
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