224 THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC [CH. 



together at the highest point, which is about thirty-two inches 

 vertically above the floor ; the shortest rod bends forwards, the 

 other two bend outwards, downwards and backwards, so as to 

 reach the back bar of the floor, but not quite at its outer ends, 

 each rod standing in a kind of socket. 



The axletree is seventy-seven inches long and is one and 

 a half to two inches in diameter. The wheels are thirty-eight 

 inches in diameter, and are four-spoked, the spokes fitting into 

 a nave, formed by a hollow wooden cylinder about nine inches 

 long, through which runs the axletree ; the wheels are kept in 

 place by pegs (linch-pins) outside, and on the inside by the 

 sockets which support the frame of the body. Both the spokes 

 and felloes are about one and a half inches in diameter. 



The pole is about six feet long, aad there are in it two holes 

 near the extremity, in one of which is a peg to which the yoke 

 is lashed. It is about two inches thick at the point, but is 

 probably three inches at the thickest part. It is bent into an 

 elbow, where it meets the body and there flattens out to a 

 breadth of about four inches, and it is dovetailed into the back- 

 piece of the body, whilst in front it is lashed to the frame of the 

 body and to a curving upright rail which supports the upper 

 rim (corresponding to the antyx in the Greek chariot). 



The extreme length of the yoke is thirty-two and a half 

 inches, and as now arranged it is lashed to the nozzle of the 

 pole and to a peg which pierces the pole just short of the yoke. 

 At the end of the curves there are bone studs. It consists of 

 a flattish rod, tapering from about two and a half inches in the 

 centre to about one inch at the horns. It is not more than one 

 and a quarter inches thick vertically at any point. There are 

 two Y-shaped objects at present hanging from the horns of the 

 yoke ; their arms are pierced with holes, and the height of the 

 whole is seven inches, the width inside from hole to hole not 

 being more than four inches, and the tail ends in a large round 

 bone stud one and a half inches in diameter. These have been 

 termed collar-pieces, but their size forbids their being so used 

 even for very diminutive horses. 



The Egyptian chariots seen on the monuments had wheels 

 of four, six or eight spokes, though the six-spoked are the 



