A Technician Looks at Chariots in the Bible

     The first time chariots are mentioned in the Bible is when Joseph was made second in command over Egypt, in Genesis 41:43. When he elevated Joseph, Pharaoh had him ride in his second chariot to honor him and establish his authority.

     There are those who claim Egypt had no chariots at this time, that they were invented in Mesopotamia, and that this proves the Bible false. However, I have seen a picture of a model of one that was found in the tomb of a daughter of Khufu (Cheops), though I can no longer find it online, nor mention of it. This would have been long before Joseph's time. It was very primitive, with small solid wheels with no metal or even wooden tires, low ground clearance, no armor, and a flat wooden floor with some light rails around the edge. In other words, it was an ox cart that someone had the idea of putting horses in front of rather than oxen, and using it to haul a warrior into battle. The warrior on it has the crown of Egypt worn at the time of Khufu, and he also wears his shield on his right arm and carries his sword in his left. Unless the negative was reversed, Khufu was probably left handed. This would indicate that chariots were invented and in use in Egypt as early as the 25th century BC, though there probably weren't too many of them as with their small wheels and low ground clearance they wouldn't be too practical.

     Joseph would have come along about 600 years later, and it is certain that the Egyptians would have made great improvements in the chariot by that time. There is nothing like a new weapon of war to attract money, time, and interest. Over the years the wheels were made spoked and larger, giving the chariot more ground clearance and lighter, stronger, more flexible wheels. Generally personal chariots had 4-spoke wheels and war chariots had sturdier 6-spoked wheels. Bronze tires were added, replacing wooden ones used earlier, though they weren't like the iron tires we know from seeing old wagons and stage coaches. The bronze was cast to fit and couldn't be bent and welded, so were made in four pieces, which were tied on with leather thongs. To keep the thongs from wearing out almost immediately, grooves in the tires allowed the thongs to be recessed so they weren't wearing on the ground. Still, they wouldn't have held up long, and likely had to be constantly tightened and replaced. The one piece tire was known as early as 3100 BC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel#/media/File:Ljubljana_Marshes_Wheel_with_axle_(oldest_wooden_wheel_yet_discovered).jpg) but didn't come into common use on chariots until well into the iron age. The Egyptians did learn to cover the axle wood with greased metal for hub bearings.

     The front was raised up to protect the warrior and driver, and light side armor was usually also added. A woven reed floor replaced the solid wooden one of the earliest chariots. This is usually attributed to saving weight and making it easier for the warrior to balance and maintain his footing in rough going (there were no springs or even leather thoroughbraces like stagecoaches used in the 1800's). It likely did help, but as a techie I see the principal purpose as being to let blood run through. I know that ships with solid wooden decks had problems with blood making the decks very slick. They spread sand before battle to help sailors keep their footing. The Egyptians used woven flooring rather than sand. The charioteers usually used bows and arrows, supplemented by short spears for when they ran out of arrows. Occasionally they would use a sword.

      Whether all these advances had been made by Joseph's time no one knows. In any case, Joseph wasn't a warrior and used his chariot for traveling around Egypt. Joseph's peaceful use of chariots was actually the most common use during the age of chariots, which began to end only when the stirrup was adopted and mounted cavalry and messengers became more effective.

     Chariots were probably, like most inventions, invented in multiple locations by different people in the same overall time period. But the Bible mentions them mostly in connection with Egypt. The Hittites had much heavier chariots where the driver stood directly over the axle. They were used for crashing through enemy battle lines. Egyptian chariots were very much lighter and much more maneuverable. Some other peoples like the Mesopotamians had big slow four wheeled chariots. Hittite chariots held three people, Egyptian ones two. The Caananites had similar but lighter chariots than the Hittites. Chariots were adapted to local conditions and practices of warfare. The Charioteers were originally lords who purchased and maintained their own horses, chariots, and equipment at their own expense. In later times, Kings bought up large numbers of horses and chariots and made them part of the military. David and Solomon are mentioned in this regard in the Bible.

     By the time of Joshua, there is mention of the Canaanites having iron chariots. This is usually ignored or discounted by secular scholars, who claim the wooden frames of chariots couldn't support iron armor. However, the Ammonites were producing iron in the late bronze age before the Israelites arrived. King Og's bed was made of iron and was such a marvel that after his death it was put on display at Rabboth Ammon (where it was likely manufactured). If they could make an iron bed frame, it is very likely they could make an iron (or iron reinforced) chariot frame! Such a chariot could also be armored with thin iron. It would be very heavy and not very fast or maneuverable, but the point would be to use the weight and armoring to crash through the enemy lines. They may well have still had wooden parts, and whether the tires were iron or bronze is hard to say. Under King David, the last Bronze Age king, the Israelites captured Rabboth Ammon and its iron industry, setting the stage for Solomon and Hiram to make a fortune as arms and agricultural implement dealers as the iron age took off. On the other hand, the Ammonites had to hire chariots from Syria and Mesopotamia to try to defend themselves against David, so it seems they didn't have many of their own chariots!

    Most chariots used two horses, but sometimes four were harnessed abreast, especially for racing.

     The lowly ox cart that started the age of chariots, however, remained much the same as it always was. Few it any of the advances made in chariots seem to have been adopted by ox cart and wagon builders, probably because of the cost.

     Chariots began to be abandoned for military use about 500 BC. They were still used for civilian use into Roman times. The Romans made one advance the Egyptians, Hittites, Canaanites, Mesopotamians, and others never made - decent roads! Chariot racing became a feature of Roman circuses. The Charioteers, often slaves, were considered heroes like professional race car drivers today. One of the greatest, Diocles, retired after 24 years, having earning the equivalent of over 15 billion dollars in today's money (yes, billion, not million!).

     In the West the last recorded use of chariots in battle was the Battle of Mons Graupius in Britain in 53 AD. In the East, China's last military use was the War of Mobie in 119 AD, although the Eastern Han Dynasty may have used them for a time after that date.

    Chariot racing faded away like military use had, though it continued in a fashion with the harness racing still common when I was young. There the driver was seated, however, and the speed was a trot, not a full gallop.