Wagons are open platforms on wheels pulled by animals, usually holding one to three people. Chariots were invented around 3000 BC and used in ancient warfare as troop transport, melee vehicle, and ranged weapon transport. They also feature prominently in religions and religious works.
A wagon is a type of simple carriage. It can be described as an open platform on wheels pulled by animals. Usually two to four horses pull the platform, which is itself suspended on two or four wheels. Wagons usually hold one to three people, one of whom is the driver or charioteer.
Chariots were an extremely important part of the ancient world. The first prototype chariots are believed to have been invented around 3000 BC in Sumeria. Horse-drawn chariots appeared around 2000 BC and were most likely developed by the Indo-Iranians. These vehicles allowed for the rapid transport of small numbers of people in many different situations, but were primarily known for their military applications. Armenians, Celts, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Hittites, Indians, Persians, Romans and many other cultures also used the chariot in ancient warfare. The Egyptian-Hittite battle at Kadesh around 1300 BC is considered the culmination of chariot warfare, after which new technologies and tactics slowly caused the importance of chariots to decline.
Chariots were used in three main ways in ancient warfare. The first way was as a troop transport. A chariot would carry small numbers of heavily armed and armored troops to key locations in a battle, then quickly dislodge them when necessary.
The second way was as a direct melee vehicle. The warriors in the chariot would be armed with long-range weapons such as spears and polearms, then driven directly into enemy lines. The armor, momentum, and occasional blades built into the chariot allowed the vehicle to break through many defensive positions, letting the warriors riding it wreak havoc among the opposing forces.
The third and most common way the chariot was used was as a ranged weapon transport. The chariot moved close to the enemy, allowing an archer inside to shoot arrows from a bow. The chariot would then move before enemy melee weapons or javelins could reach the archer.
Chariots feature prominently in religions and religious works. The Greek god Hades was described as riding in a chariot when he traveled out of the underworld. The Hindu festival Rathotsava (car festival) uses chariots and other vehicles. In Hebrew, the word Merkabah refers to the chariot of God. The Old Testament of the Christian Bible also mentions chariots used in warfare.
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