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[3] [page needed] In antiquity heavy chariots with four mounted warriors with four barded horses would be developed. This chariot was a heavy construction and would sometimes be equipped with scythes on wheels. [4] The momentum of this heavy chariot was sufficient to break through enemy formations acting as heavy shock-troops. However engaging ...
The Maryannu were a caste of chariot-mounted hereditary warrior nobility that existed in many of the societies of the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age. Maryannu is a Hurrianized Indo-Aryan word, formed by adding Hurrian suffix -nni to Indo-Aryan root márya, meaning "(young) man" [1] or a "young warrior". [2]
A vase showing a warrior riding a chariot pulled by a horse, from southeastern Iran, c. 2000–1800 BC. A golden chariot made during Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC) The Persians succeeded Elam in the mid 1st millennium. They may have been the first to yoke four horses to their chariots. They also used scythed chariots.
Chariots, much faster than foot-soldiers, pursued and dispersed broken enemies to seal the victory. Egyptian light chariots contained one driver and one warrior; both might be armed with bow and spear. In ancient Egypt, members of the chariot corps formed their own aristocratic class known as the maryannu (young heroes).
The most common type of Mycenaean chariot was the "dual chariot", which appeared in the middle of the 15th century BC. [32] In 14th century BC, a lighter version appeared, the "rail chariot", which featured an open cab and was most probably used as a battlefield transport rather than a fighting vehicle. [33]
The chariot was so powerful for transportation and warfare that it became the key weapon in the Ancient Near East in the 2nd millennium BC. The typical chariot was worked by two men: one would be a bowman who would fire at enemy forces, while the other would control the vehicle. Over time, chariots were developed to carry up to five warriors.
The scythed chariot was a modified war chariot. The blades extended horizontally for about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) to each side of the wheels. The Greek general Xenophon (430−354 BC), an eyewitness at the battle of Cunaxa, tells of them: "These had thin scythes extending at an angle from the axles and also under the driver's seat, turned toward the ground".
Although cú literally means "hound", it was also a common figurative term for a warrior in early Irish literature, thus can also mean "Culann's warrior". [9] Folklorist Dáithí Ó hÓgáin speculated that the second part of the name could come from an old Irish word for a chariot, cul, thus meaning "chariot-warrior". [9]