HIST 134

Nano-Historical Research Paper

Faisal Siddiqi

A crucial element of both the Hittite and Egyptian empires was their military prowess.
The onset of the Bronze Age brought about a military unit that revolutionized warfare and
cemented the Hittites and Egyptians as masters of the Middle East: the war chariot. Although
there are commonalities between the chariots of the Hittites and those of the Egyptians, the
differences allowed both empires to overwhelm their opponents by maximizing the chariots
potential.
Many scholars agree that the knowledge of Hittite chariots is limited, and often rely on
Egyptian representations of them in war reliefs depicting the Battle of Qadesh (Veldmeijer, 207).1
Chariot crews comprised of three people: an unshielded charioteer, a shield-bearer who also was
a spearman, and an unshielded warrior also armed with a spear (Fields, 20). For the Hittites, the
chariot was the contemporary equivalent of a panzer division: a heavy assault army whose
primary purpose was to destroy infantry in close combat.
What distinguished Hittite chariots was that their axle in the middle of the body, which
gave it a stable fighting platform, allowed for the accommodation of a third crewman, and gave
the charioteers an advantageous position from which they could battle (Fields, 20). However, the
axle location also exposed a weakness, one with the Hittites were well aware of; it made their
chariots liable to overturn at higher velocities. Hittite chariot tactics were based upon the
chariots aggressive use in battle one such tactic was terrain permitting, which was a mass
onslaught of chariots (Fields, 21).
In contrast, Egyptian chariots were manned by a duo: the charioteer and the runner. The
charioteer had to control the chariot, fight, and defend himself. This required adept warriors, and
was evidenced by the skilled archery of Egyptian charioteers. The Egyptian chariot had its axle
1 Despite representing both chariots in a similar way, Egyptian war reliefs
portrayed Hittite chariot soldiers without bows and arrows. This is likely a
detail observed by Egyptians in battle.

HIST 134

Nano-Historical Research Paper

Faisal Siddiqi

near the rear to maximize maneuverability at high speed. Because the Egyptian chariot
was a nimble machine, lighter, smaller, and faster than its Hittite
counterpart, the Egyptians utilized the chariot as a skirmisher instead of infantry
(Weingartner). This often confused enemy troops.
It is well established that Egyptian chariots carried archers (Drews,
198). These chariots were often outfitted with a bow case as well as a quiver
attached to the chariot box.i Another distinguishing element of the Egyptian
chariot was the runner (Weingartner). The runner dismounted the chariot
just before battle, and jogged into battle alongside their chariots, defending
them from enemy assaults, enemy runners and other attacks. As a result,
chariots often cantered into battle, to ensure they didnt lose their runners,
because they provided offensive and defensive support (Weingartner).
Runners also helped chariot drivers control panicking horses during battle.

i The fact that Hittite chariot warriors were bowmen is not as widely recognized,
but it is nevertheless demonstrable. However, many archaeological inscriptions
such as Karnak reliefs depict Hittite chariots equipped with bow cases, indicating
that Hittites fought exactly like their Egyptian counterparts. For more information,
please see Robert Drews The End of the Bronze Age, specifically the section on
Chariot Warfare.