ANCIENT CHARIOT. 273 



I might hereafter meet with in coins or marbles, or 

 drawings made from them. 



The refuU of this inveftigation enabledme to draw up 

 fuch a particular detail of this military equipage, as left 

 me in no difficulty of underllanding any defcription or 

 narrative which I met with of the ufe or application of 

 the chariot, either in war, or in the race. 



In treating the fabjedt, I Ihall avoid that parade of 

 literature, which crouds the margin with quotations, 

 and fhall confine myfelf folely to the refult of my in- 

 quiries, referring, in my alTertions, to fuch authorities 

 only, and in my defcriptions to fuch pafTages only, as 

 are abfolutely neceflary to the explanation. 



The ancient military chariot had but two IVheels. 

 The height or diameter of thefe, in no inftance that I 

 have met with, exceeded the height of a man's knee. 

 There are fome inftances of thefe wheels being of one 

 plain difc, firmly compa^led with iron ; but the com- 

 mon form was fuch as our wheels of the prefent day 

 bear, having fometimes four, fometimes fix, and fel- 

 dom more than eight fpokes or radii ; the fellies being 

 armed or fhoed with brafs. 



The ufual length of the Jxel-tree was * feven feet in 

 carriages of burden, as well as in thofe of war, drawn 

 by one yoke or pair or horfes. When there were more 

 horfes abreaft, the axle extended to the extreme breadth 

 of the whole rank, or at leaft to the interval between 



* Hefiod. 

 Vol. I. Nn the 



