Chariots

[Hamilcar Barca]

Scythed Chariots also required space to gather speed. At Chaeronea in 86BC, The Mithridatic army had 96 of them but Sulla engaged them so quickly that they came upon the Romans slugishly and were easily disposed of, the legions consequently laughed at this and asked for more of them. The only time that they ever really created havoc for the Romans was at Sentinum (295BC) when the Gauls used them against the Roman left wing, but even then the Romans still won the battle. Sentinum was also the first time that the Romans had seen chariots used in battle and so their initial confusion is forgivable. Despite the success of them under the old reigns of the Hitites and Caanites, by the time of the mid 3rd Century BC, chariots had become outdated and mediocre devices.

 

On the topic of elephants, I belive that among the commanders who made good use of them was Hamilcar Barca who used them effectively and decissively in the Truceless war in the battles of the Bagradas River and at Numantia.

[Centurion Legioneer]

Chariots when used in the right scenarios could be very effective war machines. Though the chariot needed level ground to ride upon. It lacked armor, comprimising protection for speed. If the horse was taken out the charoit was nearly useless, besides protection as barrier. The chariot could only carry 2 people, and was often used just for mobile archer and scouting. When a Chariot was used, in the right place, fixed with the right equipment, it could rule the field. Chariots armed with blades fixed to their wheels, may have been pretty good against infantry, but when the infantry was amred with spears, it was suicide for the people in the chariot. Though when armed with spears, it was also used as a scary tactic.