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culture · Shared topic · Revision 0

What did the chariot mean in the ancient world?

The Chariot: War Machine, Soul Metaphor, and the Argument Before the Battle

Starting explanation, not independently reviewed

The current answer

From Kurukshetra to Constantinople: how a Bronze Age war machine became the vehicle of gods, prophets, and philosophers: Krishna's chariot, Elijah's fire, Plato's two horses, and the riot of the racing factions.

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The graves of the Sintashta culture (southern Urals, c. 2000 BCE) hold the earliest widely accepted chariot burials: two-wheeled vehicles buried with warriors.

Imported citation, not independently checked: Asher Wilder, The Chariot, archaeology section

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The exact cradle is debated: steppe origin versus independent Near Eastern development has a real literature on both sides.

Imported citation, not independently checked: Asher Wilder, The Chariot, archaeology section

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Duty, action, detachment, the right order of things: the entire Gita is a debate conducted from a chariot.

Imported citation, not independently checked: Bhagavad Gita 1

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The charioteer (the sarathi) is Krishna, who is God, and who does not fight.

Imported citation, not independently checked: Bhagavad Gita 1

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