Thursday, March 1, 2012

Egyptian Chariot Archer


-James H. Breasted










1 comment:

  1. Very informative post about the development of the chariot as a tool of warfare. Far too often does the modern world neglect to understand how such objects originated in the great civilizations of the past, believing them to, like you have described, to have originated from that particular civilization first. There are those today though that seek to correct that mistake, and as a military historian I encourage this activity heavily.

    Regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the chariot archers, I believe that there is an element of physics that has been left out of discussion. The momentum of the chariot as it advance, combined with the skill of the archer to produce enough force with his bow, certainly played a hand in the effectiveness of the chariot archers. I believe the show "Weapon Masters" once detailed this reasoning. Like their brethren who would swing at the enemy with swords, axes, or spears, chariot archers surely must have used momentum to their advantage. I do ponder if they used the same chariot designs as the regular chariot infantry, or if theirs were designed to be lighter in construction. To add to this thought, were their chariots ever given blades on the sides to cut through enemy ranks?

    What astounds me to this day however is the resourcefulness of past Armorers. Using reeds as a material for arrows, is something most individuals do now picture when they hear the word arrows. Why we cannot find such low cost ways to produce effective weaponry today is a question that should be asked worldwide. I wonder as to how the reeds were selected for arrow use. Did certain regions of Egypt produce more favorable reeds, or was it just a universal concept? Furthermore, was it an art form or more of a lowly task for slaves to assemble? These are the kind of questions that I would ask the researchers who have looked into these practices.