Bronze Etruscan chariot inlaid with ivory, 2nd quarter of the 6th century BCE at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

Bronze Etruscan chariot inlaid with ivory, 2nd quarter of the 6th century BCE at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
On the Italian peninsula, the largest number of chariots come from Etruria and the surrounding regions. They are datable between the second half of the eighth and the fifth centuries B.C. and represent several varieties. None seems to have been used for fighting in battle. Most came to light in tombs; after serving in life, they were buried with their owners, male and also female. The Monteleone chariot belongs to a group of parade chariots, so called because they were used by significant individuals on special occasions. They have two wheels and were drawn by two horses standing about forty-nine inches (122 centimeters) apart at the point where the yoke rests on their necks. The car would have accommodated the driver and the distinguished passenger. The shape of the car, with a tall panel in front and a lower one at each side, provided expansive surfaces for decoration, executed in repoussé.


Image: Closeup of battle scene on the so-called Monteleone chariot photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

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