Chariot warfare reenactment

[Jona Lendering]

My bookseller has some strange customers - like me. My bookseller is used to unusual requests. However, he was baffled when someone asked for a do-it-yourself-guide for building a chariot like the ones used in Ben Hur, or a war chariot. Does anyone know a suitable title?

[Lugorix]

Few have made a chariot, and many that I have seen sadly lack research or craftsmanship that honor the originals. Although there are a small few that at least appear to be pretty good. Those who have seen 'war chariots' used in renniasance festivals though are not made to ancient specifications of course.

The best place to start is to research dig reports and so on. There must be scientific journals of the Roman period that discuss the construction and use of such chariots and other wheeled vehicles. I know I've found a ton of stuff on Celtic chariots which would seem to be more obscure.

Maybe the requestor has found a book that he/she can publish themselves once they have researched and built their chariot!

[hoplite14gr]

Remember old Cinecita biblical movies of the 60s? Lots ofchariots!!!
4 are still in Italy and 2 are still functional.
Cinema equipment companies have a few arrount and some are decent copies too. If your friend means bussiness that where he must start looking.

Kind regards

[Carlton Bach]

I would go with excavation reports. While they're not actually talking about a chariot, though, looking at the Hochdorf publications might also be worthwhile as they reconstructed a Celtic wagon tying to approximate the techniques used for the original. Unfortunately AFAIK Celtic traditions may be useful for the British esseda, but Egyptian and Mesopotamian chariots use totally different construction principles.

Edit: Koch, Julia Katharina: Der Wagen und das Pferdegeschirr aus dem späthallstattzeitlichen Fürstengrab von Eberdingen-Hochdorf (Kr. Ludwigsburg), Stuttgart : Theiss, 2006

Seems there is a recent publication. Let's hope it's good.

Then I found: Wilde, Heike: Technologische Innovationen im zweiten Jahrtausend vor Christus : zur Verwendung und Verbreitung neuer Werkstoffe im ostmediterranen Raum,
Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz, 2003

(with a chapter on chariots)

Starke, Frank: Ausbildung und Training von Streitwagenpferden : eine hippologisch orientierte Interpretation des Kikkuli-Textes, Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz, 1995

ON horse traioning for chariotry. Again, i can't speak tto the quality, but the Kikkuli text ios the best source we have, and anyone who uses a source name *and* the word 'hippological' in a book that could thematically sell to both the horsey girls and the fanboy crowd must be serious about scholarship.

[Jona Lendering]

Thanks Volker!

[M. Demetrius]

Understanding how the wheel hub is really made is the only difficult part of wagons/carts/chariots. All the rest you can pretty well tell from pictures...but the way the axle/hub works is the real issue.

Overcoming friction at that point is the most serious and critical part. Utterly essential, as wood on wood + friction = heat, which leads to smoke, then fire, and the destruction of the chariot.

[Lugorix]

Another report that might help, if you're looking for earlier European vehicles is: Wagons and Wagon-Graves of the Early Iron Age in Central Europe by C. F. E. Pare. Oxford University Committee for Archaeology Monograph No. 325 1992. 382 pp and 136 plates. This is an important work on wagons and the archaeology of wagons in Iron age Europe. This is Hallstatt period, and it's in English, but no chariots. It does give lots of info on their construction.

Jona, are you looking for anything on war chariots? I was thinking you wanted Roman references when you mentioned Ben Hur. Check this article out, especially the references at the end. The author has a great list of titles there.
[url:9192q3q2]http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/celtic/ekeltoi/volumes/vol5/5_1/karl_5_1.html[/url]

[Jona Lendering]

Thanks all, my book seller will be very happy.

[Chariovalda]

Here's two other titles, I can't really comment on their usefulness though. The second one I'll buy myself sooner or later and I've perused it, bit I can't remember if it had any info that is useful for chariot-reconstruction

Pusch, Bielak, Herold: Die Grabungen des Pelizaeus-Museums Hildesheim in Pi-Ramesse. Bd. 2: Streitwagentechnologie in der Ramsesstadt (there are 2 volumes).

Burmeister & Fansa: Rad und Wagen: Der Ursprung einer Innovation. Wagen in Vorderen Orient und Europa (Oldenburg 2004)

Coincidentally, I've just started reading Arthur Cotterell's little book on chariots. Not of much use for reconstructing a chariot, but not a bad introduction to the subject.

[Jona Lendering]

My bookseller writes:

Die antwoorden op het forum, wow! Jullie bookseller is inderdaad erg gelukkig. Dank, dank, dank!

Which means: "Those answers on the forum, wow! Your bookseller is very happy indeed. Thanks, thanks, thanks!"

Of course we all already knew that the answers on this forum are splendid. :wink:

[TraderTrey9785]

Discovery Times Channel had a special last year on the war chariots of the Assyrians I believe. I watched it, and I can't remember the name of the program off the top of my head, but it was very interesting. It showed the challenges of building ancient chariots (earlier than the Romans), and might be of use to someone interested on the subject. The construction of Roman or earlier chariots I would imagine share some of the basic principles so it might be worth checking out.

I just found the name of the program -- "Chariots of Power," it dealt with the changing design of Assyrian war chariots throughout their empire. Might be useful.

Hope this helps!

[Dan Howard]

Littauer and Crouwel wrote a few articles on their experiences in building and driving Mykenaian chariots. They helped demolish the myth that the Mykenaians and Hittites used chariot lancers to charge each other. These cultures used chariots primarily as archer platforms just like everybody else at the time.

[Ironhand]

I've seen a few good Celtic chariot replicas, but it isn't the kind of thing most people would do. It doesn't help that most people I know don't have the guts to try riding on it anyway. I have a friend who's starting a Celtic reenactment group in Arizona and I'll try and influence him into working on one. He's crazy enough to ride around in it too. Of course, his wife will blame me if he kills himself. There is some good archaeology out there, but I can't site it off the top of my head.

[philsidnell]

There was a good replica of a Chariot made here in the UK, using the evidence of the Wetwang chariot burial I think, and featured on a TV documentary. I know Ann Hyland has tried it out, or seen it demonstrated and refers to it in one of her books. I'll try to track down the reference - may even give her a call if I can still find her contact details.

One of the key features was that the 'floor' was kind of hanging from the arches at the side, so it actually acted as suspension and gave a comfortable ride and a surprisingly stable platform for the launching of javelins or other fighting.

Also I remember she noted it was very noisy, the wheels and axles screeching loudly at speed. Interestingly, Livy's description of the Battle of Sentinum in 295 BC describes the defeat of the Roman cavalry, who had until then been winning, being routed by the Celtic chariots:

'They were alarmed by a new style of fighting; for the enemy, standing up and holding their weapons in chariots and wagons, bore down on them with a fearful noise of horses' hooves and wheels, and terrified the Romans' horses with their unusual din' - Livy, X. 28.


Phil Sidnell

vae victis!

[Ironhand]

There are definately more efficient ways of replacing tired soldiers, but I think their usage of chariots definately by far is the most dramatic. Imagine arriving at the front lines on a chariot. You would definately look like a hero.