The Development of the Wooden Chariots Industry in Egypt throughout History

Abstract

Wooden carts are unique artifacts in terms of manufacturing technique and raw materials. The present paper explores the development of manufacturing wooden Chariots throughout history and the attempts before manufacturing wooden carts in Egypt and the ancient world. Later, the art of making wooden wheels appeared and developed from circle wheels cut directly from the stems of trees, solid wheels, then toroidal wheels. After that, wheels were assembled from more than one wooden piece using wooden interleaves and leather belts. The paper also studies the techniques of manufacturing the cart's structure, components, and assembly methods. It explores the most important interleaves, the role of leather in the assembly of the components, the development of design throughout history to fulfill their purposes while maintaining the essential components, known as craft inheritance, decoration methods and styles, as well as using materials to enrich the Chariots, especially those of the kings and the elite. Furthermore, it studies the proportions of wooden carts' parts, materials used in decoration, different assembly methods, and developing the cabin to provide comfort according to the carts' role in political or social life.