Conter C.N. Chariot Usage in Greek Dark Age Warfare

A thesis submitted to the Department of Classics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. — The Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, 2003. — 105 pp.The chariot, possibly invented in the Near East, became one of the most innovative accouterments in ancient warfare. Unlike the previous heavily built war-carts that were drawn by oxen, the chariot was a light two-man vehicle drawn by horses. This combination of a light vehicle and fast horses gave ancient armies the capability of unprecedented movement on the battlefield. When used with the right weapons, particularly the composite bow, a chariot squadron became a highly successful military wing. In the case of Greek war-chariotry, however, it appears that chariots were never used to their full capabilities. It seems that the Mycenaean palaces expended a lot of effort to manufacture and distribute chariots for military matters, but those chariots are never shown being used actively in battle. Likewise, in Homeric descriptions of the chariot in battle, the chariot is relegated to a rather debased use. There is no question that the Mycenaeans used chariots because these vehicles are pictured with frequently in art and are mentioned in Linear B texts. After the fall of the palaces, however, pictorial and textual evidence for chariots cease. Because of this, it is often thought that chariots disappeared from Greece at the end of the Bronze Age. Consequently, Homer’s seemingly impractical use of the chariot in warfare has generally led scholars to assume that he had no experience with the chariot and its use in warfare.
The problem with this assumption is that, despite a gap of ca. 400 years, the way that the chariot is used in the Iliad corresponds to the way the Mycenaeans show it being used, that is, as primarily a transport vehicle for foot-soldiers. Furthermore, although there is no a written or pictorial record of chariots during the Dark Age, there is some physical evidence of chariots dating to this time. The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the possibility that chariots were used during the Dark Age, and that they retained a military function. As a result, Homer’s description of the chariot’s function in war may not be entirely fictitious, because his descriptions are based on a contemporary, or near contemporary, function of the war-chariot.Physical Evidence for Chariots Dating to the Greek Bronze Age and Dark Age.
The Evolution of the Chariot's Design in Greece.
Mycenaean Chariot Warfare.
Dark Age Chariot Warfare.