Caesar Miniatures H012 Hittitie Chariot (The Battle of Qadesz c.1300 BC)

The Hittites are a people of Indo-European origin, who around the 17th century BC created a vast and very strong state in, inter alia, today's Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. The capital of this empire at that time was Hattusas in Anatolia. The basis of the power of the Hittite state were its armed forces, especially its combat chariots. Hittite war chariots were characterized by a relatively light structure, they also had spoked wheels (usually from 6 to 8 spokes per wheel), which improved their mobility and speed. Most often they had one pair of wheels mounted on one axle and were harnessed by two horses. It is worth adding that, contrary to popular belief, the Hittites did not invent the war chariot, but undoubtedly used it on a large scale and successfully in their army. It is assumed that they were first used in the Hittite army around 1600 BC during the reign of King Hattusilis I. It is assumed that the Hittite battle chariots constituted the elite of the Hittite army and probably constituted a separate combat unit. They certainly took part in the Battle of Kadesh around 1300 BC.