I'm just curious. They seem so fragile, vulnerable and require a lot of training. It seems to me that normal cavalry would be far more flexible and efficient in an ancient battles. Obviously there were military advantages to a chariot, does anyone know? Thanks!

They were like the Apache gunship/troop transport of the ancient world.

They were fast and maneuverable.
You could use a chariot to rapidly advance archers/skirmishers into range of the enemy and attack, then withdraw before the enemy could retaliate. A chariot also provides a relatively stable platform for shooting from.

They could carry passengers.
You could use them to transport passengers up to the front lines, where they could disembark and attack the enemy. Then you could extract them from the battle and withdraw them to safety before they become fatigued, or if the battle turns against you.

They were terrifying.
Because really, who wouldn't be terrified of a ton of horse flesh, wood and man noisily bearing down on you at speed, pelting you with missiles and dropping off a screaming lunatic barbarian who wants to beat you to death with your own helmet?

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I presume you mean in history and not in SBG! Well what little I know of the use of chariots is in my own country's history (Scotland). So back in the Iron age the Celts and Barbarians used Chariots to deadly effect in attempts to remove the Roman Empire from Britain. The Chariots then were made were made entirely from wood with only iron fittings and rims. The tactics for using them were to throw weapons and try and scare the enemy from a short distance before charging in and have some warriors jump off and start chopping away. In this way they would have the speed of cavalry and the solidness of infantry.

I remember also about a Female War Chief called Boudica whose Husband and Children were murdered by the Romans. In revenge she raised an army and marched her army all the way to London which she then sacked. She was known to address her army from her chariot. The warriors she had also painted blue paint on themselves to make them seem fierce. Anyway I hope this is a History question cause otherwise I've made a big mistake!

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Kili - "Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers"
Tauriel - "Or nothing"

There are three very different tactics used with chariots:
-Transport (where warriors are brought to the front line, and can be picked up when things go wrong later on)
-Platform (for archers or javelin throwers, allows for a relatively stable ride, easy use of longer bows and carrying of loads of ammunition)
-Scythed (actually charging towards the enemy, and when the horses evade, the scythed wheels are supposed to do quite some damage to the frontline)

The first was the main use in (British) Celts, the second type much used in Mesopotamia, Egypt as well as by the Myceneans (as described in the Iliad - I reckon the guy wearing the Dendra panoply [ http://media.muhlenberg.edu/addons/albu ... 225251.jpg ] was happy with that, as walking much would be tiring, while riding a horse should prove impossible in that suit!), while the last is mostly Persian. Although chariots are quite poor in various ways (most importantly requiring large flat areas to work), ancient cavalry wasn't all that great either, with reins, saddles and stirrups being in early development or entirely absent. As these essential items improved (and horse breeding presumably delivered increasingly strong horses too), chariots became obsolete. Which didn't stop Leonardo from designing some improved versions for a Renaissance comeback, I have to add...

In many places they were used before the particular nation had learned to use proper cavalry. Standing on a chariot and shooting arrows or throwing javelins required less advanced technology than fighting effectively from horseback. So the chariots were often a kind of proto-cavalry, quick and effective but replaced by cavalry when it became available.

Those Leonardo illustrations are really cool, it always amazes me how one of the greatest artists was also a military equipment inventor.

-- Pasi

Thanks so much for the detailed responses guys. I love history, but my focus on history is 20th century, so these responses really gave me a rounded idea of what chariots were like!