Chariot is a term applied to horse-drawn vehicles used both for pleasure and in war. Ancient chariots, such as those used among the Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans, were of various forms. A common form was open behind and closed in front, and had only two wheels.
The chariot was strongly and even elegantly built, but not well adapted for speed. In ancient warfare chariots were of great importance; thus we read of the 900 iron chariots of Sisera, as giving him a great advantage against the Israelites. The Philistines in their war against Saul had 30,000 chariots.
The sculptures of ancient Egypt show that the chariots formed the strength of the Egyptian army, these vehicles being two - horsed and carrying the driver and the warrior, sometimes a third man, the shield-bearer. There is no representation of Egyptian soldiers on horseback, and consequently when Moses in his song of triumph over Pharaoh speaks of the horse and his rider, rider must be understood to mean chariot-rider. In the Egyptian chariots the framework, wheels, pole, and yoke were of wood, and the fittings of the inside, the bindings of the framework, as well as the harness were chiefly of raw hide or of tanned leather.
We have also numbers of sculptures which give a clear idea of the Assyrian chariots. These resembled the Egyptian in all essential features, containing almost invariably three men - the warrior, the shield-bearer, and the charioteer. A peculiarity of both is the quiver or quivers full of arrows attached to the side. The Assyrian war-chariot was drawn by three horses abreast, and all the appointments were rich and elaborate. It had two quivers crossing each other on the side, filled with arrows, and each also containing a small axe. A socket for holding the spear was also attached. From the front of the chariot a singular ornamental appendage stretched forward.
War-chariots had sometimes scythe-like weapons attached to each extremity of the axle, as among the ancient Persians and Britons. Among the Greeks and Romans chariot-races were common.
In Britain the name chariot was formerly given to a kind of light travelling carriage. Research Chariot
Amymone was a daughter of Danaus. She and her sisters were sent to search for water when Poseidon caused a drought in the district of Argos. Whilst searching she threw a spear at a dear, missed it and hit a satyr which pursued her. She called to Poseidon for help. He came, drove off the satyr and produced a perennial spring for her at Lerna, where he met her. Research Amymone
Bacchus was a Greek and later Roman form of the Greek god Dionysus, and in this form was the god of wine and drunken happiness. He was the son of Jupiter and Semele, and was depicted in perennial youth, usually as a maiden, with a crown or vine or ivy leaves around his temples, and holding in his hand a spear bound with ivy. Tigers, lions or lynxes are yoked to his chariot, whilst he is accompanied by bacchanals, satyrs and his foster-father and preceptor Silenus.
He first taught the cultivation of the vine and the preparation of wine. To spread the knowledge of his invention he travelled over various countries and received in every quarter divine honours. Drawn by lions (some say panthers, tigers, or lynxes), he began his march, which resembled a triumphal procession. Those who opposed him were severely punished, but on those who received him hospitably he bestowed rewards. His love was shared by several; but Ariadne, whom he found deserted upon Naxos, alone was elevated to the dignity of a wife, and became a sharer of his immortality. Research Bacchus
In Celtic mythology Dylan was a god of darkness, a twin son of Gwydion and Arianrhod. He was a sea god, and swam like a fish. Upon his death at the hands of a spear thrown by his uncle Govannan, the sea for ever more wept for him in the form of waves crashing on the shore. Research Dylan
In Shinto mythology, Izanagi and Izanami are the central deities in the creation myth. They were descended from seven pairs of brothers and sisters who had appeared after heaven and earth had separated out of chaos. A mighty bridge floated between the heavens and the primeval oceans; standing on this,
Izanagi and Izanami stirred the waters below with a jewelled spear to form the first land mass. Their union gave birth to the islands of Japan and to various deities. In giving birth to the fire-god Kagutsuchi (or Homusubi), however, Izanami was fatally burnt and descended to the land of darkness, Yomi. When
Izanagi ventured into the underworld to seek his dead spouse, he found her alive but imprisoned in a decomposing body. Fleeing, Izanagi bathed in the sea to purify himself and in doing so gave birth to a number of deities, among them Amaterasu, the sun goddess, from his left eye, the moon-god Tsukumi from his right eye, and the storm god Susanowo from his nostrils. In Shinto religion, the purification practised in the harai ceremony commemorates
Izanagi's submersion in water. Research Izanagi
In Slavonic mythology, Radegaste was a protecting or guardian god. He was depicted with the head of a cow wearing a helmet surmounted by a cockerel, his breast covered with an aefis and in his left hand was a spear. Research Radegaste
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Chariot
