BRIEF INTRODUCTION ABOUT POLITICAL CLIMATE IN EGYPT
Hyksos entering Egypt
The Egyptian rulers of XIII dinasty, around 40, which ruled the country in a period 120 years long, were weaker than their predecessors even if they have been successful in maintening the control on Nubia and managing a centralized administration. In the last years they had challenging with the rival rulers coming from XIV dinasty which had acquired the control of the region of delta and also contrasting the Hyksos invasions, a Semitic population comind from western Asia. The Hyksos were stationed already during the end of XIII dinasty, in the Nile delta's area where advantaged by an anarchy climate created there by locals, this fact gave them the possibility of living thanks to pillages. When in the Middle East the pressure of Indoeuropean tribes as Hittites, Kassites and Hurrians grew up esponentially, the penetration of Hyksos became stronger and more intense than ever and the total lacking of a solid central power conceided invaders of taking possession of Egypt. First they occupied the area of delta and the town of Haware where they created an authonomous state and then in a 50 years long period, they have been successful extending their dominion till Memphis. The conquer was easy in the end even because Hyksos used the war chariots, a unknown weapon for the Egyptians. The forming of a Hyksos dinasty in Egypt signed the starting of the second intermediate period, lasted like 205 years, characterized by instability and lacking of political unity. The Hyksos of XV dinasty set as their capital Haware, in the oriental delta of Nile, keeping control of the central and northern regions of the country. They adopted the Egyptian royal titles and Egyptian uses and costumes, also keeping in the higher grades of bureaucracy Egyptian officials. Simultaneosly, in the middle Egypt the XVI dinasty has born and those people were probably puppets of the same Hyksos. Major indipendence was exercised in the south by a third center of power, headquarter of Theban XVII dinasty ruling in the territory included between Elephantine and Abydos. Already the Theban king Kamose (1576-1570BC circa) of XVII dinasty had fought against Hyksos with alternate success but it was his brother Amosis I the guy able reunifying the country defeating the Hyksos, destroying their capital Haware and forcing them to refuge in the low Palestine. The Hyksos during the period in which they ruled Egypt, introduced some important innovations as the the vertical frame, the colture of olive, the processing of bronze and in military field, the usage of brandnew weapons as the war chariot
BRIEF INTRODUCTION ABOUT CHARIOTS
Well, the first Egyptian chariot used came from just after the Hyksos invasion and we can clearly say it was a pure copy and paste as we could call it in modern times. infact it was just a light wooden box opened in the rear part mounted on an axis linked to two wheels made by four radiuses per wheel, drag by two horses. On the box it was mounted a fixed quiver because the driver was also the shooter.. so there was no time seaching an arrow after shooting the previous one...
Shardana's chariot with 4 radiuses per wheel
In 1400 BC circa some little technical modifications have been set to chariots for improving enormously their tactical capability. Wheels have been reinforced with bronzed material and each wheel now have six radiuses to let the chariot able trasporting one passenger more than before, the driver and the archer or javeliner able improving the ratio of shooting and accuracy than in the past especially when the driver was also the shooter. The driver in the two spots chariot have the role of a shield carrier too, protecting the archer/javeliner whilst this one's reloading..both have a bronze and leather armors to protect the body in case of hit or fall from the box while chariot's running.. and prerogative of this chariot, i mean the improvement the first type of charior hadnt's that this brandnew chariot was completely totally removable, to be transported by mules or donkeys in case of need or impossibility caused by the morphology of territory.
Six radiuses chariot carrying driver/shield bearer plus additional archer
EGYPTIAN CHARIOTS AT WAR: THE TACTICS
Well, let me start saying that in the standard of Ur by the Sumerians, the javeliner puts his hand on the shoulder of the driver, this is a more practical position, as demonstrated by English reenacters because this creates a sort of natural damper which accompanies the shooter whilst he is in his motion to drive. But within Middle East we have seen different and easier cases about charioting as with disarmed driver onboard or with a driver and javeliner/archer in the same time..
Approaching phase
Chariots proceed scaled through a fast trotting because in this way an immobilized chariot isnt able to obstruct the race of the others of following ones. The enemy infantries are probably equipped with javelins and then they may face the chariots from the distance with their own weapons. Each chariot occupies the front of at least 4 men and is therefore disadvantaged in terms of intensity of shooting about 12 to 1.
First shooting phase
The chariots however had the advantage of mobility and they exploit it quickly entering and exiting by the useful distance of shooting.. this motion brings the opponents to waste a big part of their arrows/javelins looking to hit the chariots and this takes infantry to clutter their formation. Neo Assyrian and Syro Hittite chariots were even better prepared for this tactic.. they had a large shield attached/fixed at the rear to protect the crew during the going away phase after the shooting. This is not an easy manourvring to be made because the axis of the chariot cannot rotate, but it is fixed to the flat part of the chariot requiring large training by thge driver to be made with a radius of curvature sufficiently small. The shooter is leaning with his left arm and with the shield at his left shoulder, shooting when the driver of chariot is curving parallel to the enemy front, taking also advantage by the speed of the chariot to give more strength to its shooting. The concatenation of chariots focuses the shooting on a precise point in the enemy formation: movement recalls the "caracol" by Reiters or fake attacks by animal predators inducing their prey when they are in a unapprocheable compact flock to come disunited, in a way to be able in hitting the most vulnerable and isolated enemy soldiers.
Second phase of shooting
The chariots exert a strong deliberate pressure in a point of the enemy formation. loops continue at great speed with the time passing and the enemy formation not only starts becoming thinner by the losses, but also begin cluttering in order to avoid enemy fire and to go out from chariots trajectory of the charge: probable targets starts amassing themselves at the sides of the line of fire, pushing away their mates and crowding on each other.
Preliminary phase of attack
When the confusion of enemy becomes evident, chariots take advantage of situation increasing their own pressure, approaching the opponent: with enemy chaos the pressure of the chariots become unsustainable and holes in the enemy formation start to be more wider.
Final phase
At the first chance, the head of the chariot contingent roughly interrupts the caracol and addresses his own chariot firmly towards a hole opened in the enemy formation: the other chariots follow him immediately reducing the distances between chariot and chariot and placing themselves lightly enlarged, hitting like a wedge between the enemy lines. The charge of the chariots is overwhelming and the enemies at this point are now just a shapeless mass of men seeking for safety escaping from the battlefield.
It 'a signal also for own infantry which immediately takes advantege of enemy disorganization giving the final hit to battle