Hat 8130 Sumerian Chariots

The Sumerians are a people whose exact origin is not known to this day, but who beyond doubt created the first, highly developed civilization in Mesopotamia. As the Sumerians for a large part of their history were in a political disarray (political union was imposed on them only by Sargon the Great around 2350 BC), they also had numerous armed conflicts with each other. The first, credible source references to the wars waged by the Sumerians can be dated to the Early Dynastic period (circa 2900-circa 2350 BC), although it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that wars between Sumerian city-states were also fought during the Uruk period. (about 4000 - about 3100 BC). Based on the archaeological material, but also on written and iconographic sources (e.g. The Banner of Ur or the Stele of the Vulture), it can be concluded that chariots probably played a significant role in the Sumerian armies. These were, however, chariots clearly different from those used, for example, in the New Kingdom in Egypt. First of all, they were vehicles with two axles and four wheels, which were not harnessed by horses, but by wild donkeys (onagers). Most often, one chariot was harnessed by four onagers, and its crew consisted of two people. Probably the Sumerian chariots were also relatively heavy and much less maneuverable on the battlefield than later chariots. This, in turn, suggests that perhaps they were used to transport selected soldiers rather than to fight in the front line of troops. On the other hand, most iconographic images show that Sumerian chariots carried additional spears, which may have been used by soldiers in the course of the chariot battle. They also had a cover from the front, which relatively effectively protected the coachman and the soldier.