Description
Hard-hitting, Ancient era heavy cavalry unit. Gains 1 bonus Movement if it begins a turn on a flat tile with no Woods, Rainforest, or Hills.
Historical Context
Ox carts – sort of proto-chariots – were first built by early Indo-European peoples in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Not long after, c. 2500, horses were domesticated on the Eurasian steppes, a practice that quickly spread. And not long after that, horses got hitched (usually side-by-side) to the carts, which had been made lighter – often just a platform on two wheels with a low railing – and more maneuverable. Besides practical uses for chariots in transport and racing, chariots were very useful in war, giving ancient armies a mobile arm of their military. The Hittites were the first master charioteers in warfare, manned by three men in nimble chariots drawn by two horses. The Egyptians ran roughshod over their enemies using a similar contraption. The Persians were the first to build heavy chariots, with a four-horse team and sometimes scythes on the wheels, which proved really effective in smashing through enemy infantry lines.