You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 54.163.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪Blablubbs‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider or colocation provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts and colocation providers may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host or colocation provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a colocation provider's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a colocation web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host or colocation provider (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host or colocation provider.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and requests should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 17:28, 10 March 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪Jon Kolbert‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: See the help page if you are affected .
- Start of block: 18:27, 12 November 2023
- Expiry of block: 18:27, 12 November 2028
Your current IP address is 54.163.179.242. The blocked range is 54.163.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Short description|Modified chariot used in ancient warfare))
[[File:The charge of the Persian scythed chariots at the battle of Gaugamela by Andre Castaigne (1898-1899).jpg|thumb|300px|''The charge of the Persian scythed chariots at the [[Battle of Gaugamela]]'', by [[Andre Castaigne]] (1898-1899).]]

The '''scythed chariot''' was a [[Chariot|war chariot]] with [[scythe]] blades mounted on each side. It was employed in ancient times.

==History==
The scythed chariot was a modified war chariot. The blades extended horizontally for about ((convert|1|m|abbr=on)) to each side of the wheels. The [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] general [[Xenophon]] (430−354 BC), an eyewitness at the [[battle of Cunaxa]], tells of them: "These had thin scythes extending at an angle from the axles and also under the driver's seat, turned toward the ground".((Full citation needed|date=March 2011)) Serrated bronze blades for chariot wheels have also been excavated from Zhou-era pre-imperial Chinese sites.

Dismissing completely 17th to 19th century ideas of a [[Canaan]]ite, [[Assyrian Empire|Assyrian]], [[India]]n or [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]]n origin,<ref name="Nefiodkin 2004 369−371">((harvnb|Nefiodkin|2004|pp=369−371))</ref> Historian Alexander K. Nefiodkin challenges Xenophon's attribution of scythed chariots to the first Persian king [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]],<ref name="Nefiodkin 2004 369−371"/> pointing to their notable absence in the [[Second Persian invasion of Greece|invasion of Greece]] (480−479 BC) by one of his successors, [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes I]].<ref>((harvnb|Nefiodkin|2004|pp=373f.))</ref> Instead, he argues that the Persians introduced scythed chariots sometime later during the [[Greco-Persian Wars]], between 467 BC and 458 BC, as a response to their experience fighting against [[Hoplite|Greek heavy infantry]].<ref>((harvnb|Nefiodkin|2004|pp=371−378))</ref>

In addition, Nefiodkin has responded to the critic J. Rop, summarising that the ancient historian Ctesias of Assyria is unreliable, and that scythed chariots were developed in order to fight ancient Greek hoplite formations, or more generally, heavy infantry.<ref>((cite journal|last=Nefiodkin|first= A. K. |year=2014|title= Once more on the origin of the Scythed Chariot|publisher= The Ancient History Bulletin|number= 28.3–4|pages=112–118|url= http://www.ancienthistorybulletin.org/subscribed-users-area/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Nefedkin.pdf))</ref>

===Persian wars===

((More citations needed section|date=March 2021))

The scythed chariot was pulled by a team of four [[horse]]s and manned by a crew of up to three men, one driver and two warriors.  Theoretically the scythed chariot would plow through [[infantry]] lines, cutting combatants in half or at least opening gaps in the line which could be exploited. It was difficult to get horses to charge into the tight [[phalanx formation]] of the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[hoplite]]s (infantry). The scythed chariot avoided this inherent problem for cavalry by using the scythe 
to cut into the formation even when the horses avoided the men. A disciplined army could diverge as the chariot approached, and then re-form quickly behind it, allowing the chariot to pass without causing many casualties. War chariots had limited military capabilities. They were strictly an offensive weapon and were best suited against infantry in open flat country where the charioteers had room to maneuver. At a time when [[cavalry]] were without [[stirrup]]s, and probably had neither [[spur]]s nor an effective [[saddle]], though they certainly had saddle blankets, scythed chariots added weight to a cavalry attack on infantry. Historical sources come from the infantry side of such engagements i.e. the Greek and Roman side. Here is one recorded encounter where scythed chariots were on the winning side:
<blockquote>
The soldiers had got into the habit of collecting their supplies carelessly and without taking precautions. There was one occasion when [[Pharnabazus (5th century BC)|Pharnabazus]], with 2 scythed chariots and about 400 cavalry, came on them when they were scattered all over the plain. When the Greeks saw him bearing down on them, they ran to join up with each other, about 700 altogether; but Pharnabazus did not waste time. Putting the chariots in front, and following behind them himself with the cavalry, he ordered a charge. The chariots dashing into the Greek ranks, broke up their close formation, and the cavalry soon cut down about a hundred men. The rest fled and took refuge with [[Agesilaus]], who happened to be close at hand with the hoplites.<ref>Xenophon, ''Hellenica'' IV,1,17-19.</ref>
</blockquote>

The only other recorded example of their successful use seems to be when units of [[Mithradates VI of Pontus]] defeated a [[Bithynia]]n force on the [[Battle of the River Amnias|River Amnias]] in 89 BC. (Appian)

===Roman encounters===
[[File:Boudiccastatue.jpg|thumb|The statue ''[[Boadicea and Her Daughters]]'' near [[Westminster Pier]] shows British Celtic queen [[Boudica]] in a scythed chariot as commissioned by [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Albert]] and executed by [[Thomas Thornycroft]] (completed in 1905).]]
Despite these shortcomings, scythed chariots were used with some success by the Persians and the kingdoms of the [[Hellenistic Greece|Hellenistic Era]]. They are last known to have been used at the [[Battle of Zela]] in 47 BC. The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] are reported to have defeated this weapon system, not necessarily at this battle, with [[caltrops]]. On other occasions the Romans fixed vertical posts in the ground behind which their infantry were safe ([[Frontinus]] [[Stratagems (book)|''Stratagems'']] 2,3,17-18)
There is a statement in the [[Scriptores Historiae Augustae]] Severus Alexander LV that he captured 1,800 scythed chariots. This is universally regarded as false.

Late in the Imperial period, the Romans might have experimented with an unusual variant of the idea that called for [[cataphract]]-style lancers to sit on a pair or a single horse drawing a "chariot" reduced to a bare axle with wheels, where the blades were only lowered into the fighting position at the last moment. This would have facilitated manoeuvring before battle. This at least is a reasonable interpretation of the rather enigmatic [[De rebus bellicis]] section 12-14.

===Saharan tribes===
In the northern Sahara nomadic tribes called Pharusii and Nigrites used scythed chariots c. 22 AD, as Strabo reports:
"They have chariots also, armed with scythes."<ref>Strabo, ''Geography'', XVII.iii.</ref>

===Celtic Britain and Ireland===
Regarding the [[Roman conquest of Britain]], contemporary Roman geographer [[Pomponius Mela]] mentions: 
<blockquote>
They make war not only on horseback but also from 2 horse chariots and cars armed in the Gallic fashion – they call them covinni – on which they use axles equipped with scythes.<ref>Pomponius Mela, 3,52  (c. 44 AD).</ref>
</blockquote>

There is no accepted archaeological evidence concerning scythed chariots. There are some large heavy scythe blades from late Roman Britain which are too unwieldy for a man to use.
[[File:Scythed chariot by da Vinci.jpg|thumb|Da Vinci's Scythed Chariot]]
However, a scythed chariot appears in The Cattle-Raid of Cooley ([[Táin Bó Cúailnge]]), the central epic of the Ulster cycle of [[Early Irish literature]].<ref>((Cite web|url=http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/Cooley/ScythedChariot.html|title=The Scythed Chariot|website=adminstaff.vassar.edu|accessdate=Mar 15, 2023))</ref>

===Leonardo da Vinci===

One of [[Leonardo da Vinci]]'s ideas was a scythed chariot.<ref name="BR">((Citation|url=http://www.universalleonardo.org/work.php?id=516|title=Scythed chariots |year=1485|work=Biblioteca Reale|publisher=University of the Arts |location=London |accessdate=2009-08-14))</ref>

<gallery>
Carro falciante - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 09903 02.jpg|Detail of the model of the scythed chariot by Leonardo exhibited at [[Museo nazionale della scienza e della tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci]], Milan
Carro falciante - Museo scienza tecnologia Milano 09903 04.jpg|Detail of the rotating scythes
</gallery>

==References==
((reflist))

==Sources==
*((Citation
 | last = Nefiodkin
 | first = Alexander K.
 | title = On the Origin of the Scythed Chariots
 | journal = Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte
 | volume = 53
 | issue = 3
 | year = 2004
 | pages = 369–378
))
*((Citation|last=Rivet|first=A.L.F.|year=1979|title=A note on scythed chariots|journal=Antiquity|publisher=University of York|location=York, UK|volume=53|issue=208|pages=130–132 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00042344| s2cid=163269832 |issn=0003-598X |url=http://antiquity.ac.uk/))

==External links==
((Commons category-inline))

((DEFAULTSORT:Scythed Chariot))
[[Category:Chariots]]
[[Category:Blade weapons]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Scythed chariot (edit)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite journal (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Commons category-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Full citation needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Harvard citation no brackets (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Harvnb (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:If empty (view source) (protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:More citations needed section (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Sister-inline (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Sp (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Commons link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Convert/text (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:Footnotes (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Footnotes/anchor id list (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Footnotes/anchor id list/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Footnotes/whitelist (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:If empty (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Scythed chariot.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythed_chariot"