Author Description

The six, actual, full-sized chariots of Tutankhamun are of singular importance, not only to the history of chariotry in general, but to the understanding of Late Bronze-Age warfare, and to an intelligent interpretation of what is seen in representations. The normal, strictly profile character of the latter makes it impossible for them to render many proportions and details accurately. The tomb of Tutankhamun is unique in the ancient orient in offering the possibility of comparing six almost complete vehicles of this period, not only with one another, but with chariot evidence of all categories actual, representational and textual, both from Egypt and from other lands. Six chariots, entirely or partly dismantled, had been stacked in the tomb, four of them in the Antechamber (cleared 1922/3) and two in the Treasury (1926/7). The volume consists of a complete catalogue of the chariots themselves and their related equipment (yoke saddles, blinkers, bridle bosses, harness, etc.) together with a re-examination of comparative material found in other Egyptian tombs of the New Kingdom, a section on materials and construction, and a concluding summary.The Florentine chariot, discovered in Thebes in 1828/9, is discussed in some detail in an important appendix.