Greek Chariots AJ Hyans/ Ms.

Powell Ancient World/ Slot G 5/16/13 Eternal Truth: Human beings value advancements in technology

2 Arthur C. Clarke, a British futurist, once said, Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Technology continually impresses humans as its capabilities further surpass those of a physical being. The prospect of a machine to make simple tasks more effective makes technology desirable to people. In the 6th century BC, a time in ancient Greece when iron and bronze had just started becoming useful recourses, nobody could have imagined the technology that exists in the world today. Instead, they focused on solving issues much more prevalent to their lifestyle. The fact that the ancient Greek people did everything on foot seemed inefficient and they speculated that there had to be an easier way. They walked everywhere and fought their wars on foot; everything was done standing, which wasnt convenient at all. So like any motivated civilization, they sought a new form of mobility and created a machine, the chariot, to help them fight their wars, get around, and to simply entertain them. All human beings value advancements in technology, which is epitomized in the advent of the chariot in ancient Greek civilization. When looking at how Ancient Greek chariots were used for many different things, including wars, athletics, and transportation, one can infer that human beings value advancements in technology. At the time that chariots were created, the people thought these simple machines were absolutely brilliant. They thought that such a magnificent machine deserved a correspondingly magnificent design. Some chariots were made of precious metals like bronze. A bronze chariot inlaid with ivory was discovered on an Italian farm in 1902. The bronze chariot was brought back to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and repaired. Aside from being made of bronze and ivory, the chariot

3 was mostly composed of wood. It consisted of a cart with a platform and three walls on the sides, the front, left, and right. Historians believe this chariot was from the archaic period during the second quarter of the sixth century BC. It is believed that this chariot was created as a gift to reward a local authority for their service. The detailed art on the chariot portrays the Trojan War, which tells us this chariot may have also been from the time around the Trojan War.1 Chariots were valued so much in ancient Greek society that they were given as gifts and decorated as thoughtfully as pieces of art. Chariots are comprised of a car with two wheels attached to an axle. The cart is attached to a pole that has two spots for horses to fit under. Once the horses are attached to the chariot all they have to do is walk and the chariot moves with the people inside, which can only be up to 2 people.2 The charioteers, or the people controlling and driving the chariots, used long sticks as whips to make the horses go faster and to control the horses.3 Aside from being a cultural phenomenon, the chariot was also an engineering feat, as locomotion on wheels was a new idea for the ancient Greeks. Chariots became a huge part of Greek culture and their importance is evident through many different ways. One way chariots were first introduced into Greek culture was through war. The Greek army introduced chariots as vehicles to use on the battlefield and these special chariots were considered one of the most Bronze chariot inlaid with ivory, http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/searchthe-collections/130007494 2 Chariot, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot#Greece 3 Carolyn Nicole Contor, Henry Schliemmann, The Greek Age of Bronze Chariots, http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/chariots.htm
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4 innovative weapons of the Bronze Age warfare. These chariots for one part were used as military transportation on the battlefield. They would transport various supplies and people to and from the battlefield. Chariots also had several other uses in battle. One man chariots had only one driver who carried a spear and would fight the enemy from the chariots cart. Two man chariots carried a driver and a fighter. Usually the fighter in the two men chariots would carry a bow and arrow, but other times he would also carry a spear along with two armed drivers. Chariots also served as protection and throwing platforms during war. Chariots make a sturdy and elevated space for attacking the enemy while being protected by its metal/wooden walls. The soldiers hid between the front and side walls of the chariot so that only the back was exposed.4 These Greek war chariots proved to be so successful because they were unique to the Greeks and their enemies did not know how to defend against the new technology. With chariots, the Greek army was also much faster, and with the weapons that existed in that time, was difficult to hit a moving target. One of the most famous and popular uses for chariots was the sport of chariot racing. Chariot Racing, or Tethrippon, was a very dangerous race around a course invented in the times of the very early Olympic games. Spectators cheered especially at the catastrophic buildups around the turns of the course, which were the most dangerous areas.5 The races would consist of up to 60 racers at a time doing 12 laps around the course. Chariot races often resulted in death, which the Carolyn Nicole Contor, Henry Schliemmann, The Greek Age of Bronze Chariots, http://www.salimbeti.com/micenei/chariots.htm 5 Alison Ostergard, Chariot Racing, http://www.ghsdcurriculum.com/inquiry/projects/greece/research_text/chariot_racing.html
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5 spectators loved. To be a jockey in a chariot race, one would have to be very tall, but oftentimes the competitors were only teenagers. The racers wore special suits called Xystis, which helped reduce the drag from the wind.6 These chariot races were similar to modern sporting events where people gathered socially to be entertained by the race. Like they do today, fans screamed and bet on the outcome of the race. The winning chariots owner was also compensated, which created more competition between the owners. Thirdly, Greek chariots were used for various ceremonies and as gifts for rulers and honorable people. One example of a tradition that involved chariots was before a wedding when a friend of the bridegroom went with the groom on a chariot to the house of the bride to pick her up and bring her to the place of the wedding ceremony. Another custom the Greeks had was to honor people with chariots. People in Greece would be honored as war heroes, political leaders, and for completing other respected duties. Most simply, chariots were awarded to those who completed good service to the city or state. Greek chariots became quickly integrated with the existing culture. The bronze chariot inlaid with ivory depicted pictures of fighting and war on all sides.7 Art was a huge part of Greek culture before chariots were introduced, and the existing tradition of creating artwork was combined with technology as the chariots were designed beautifully. Greek chariots also started to appear in mythology after they were introduced. Another great Greek culture was philosophy, and Plato even N.S. Gill, Chariot Race, http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/olympics/ss/52412Olympic-Sports-Illustrated_3.htm 7 Bronze chariot inlaid with ivory, http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/searchthe-collections/130007494
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6 wrote a story called the Chariot Allegory.8 The Greeks combined their existing cultural elements with the chariots to as the vehicles were adopted into the Greek culture. All of these reasons (war, athletics, honor) serve as proof to how humans could take one thing and use it to the absolute best of its ability. Naturally, the ancient Greek people wanted convenience in mobility and their innovation and motivation led to the advent of the chariot. These vehicles were so technologically advanced for their time and the diverse use of the chariot further demonstrates the capability of the ancient Greeks. Throughout history humans have developed greatly as the result of technology, which is partly driven by the human instinct to want the easiest approach to doing something. This eternal truth was a powerful force in Greece at the time chariots were created. The ancient Greeks believed in their ability as inventors and consequently they applied their creation to a diverse set of situations. The people wanted a more efficient mode of transportation, created one, and ultimately flourished with the invention of chariot and its several applications.

Chariot, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot#Greece