Chariot

(chure-ot.) [From W. carrhod.] (Antiq.) A car or vehicle used in war by the Romans, and called by the several names of biga, trig a, quadriga, ., according to the number of horses which drew it. When Fig. 161.-ASSYRIAN CHARIOT. (Nineveh marbles, British Museum.) the warriors came to an encounter in close fight, they alighted and fought on foot; but as soon as they were weary they retired into their chariots, and thence annoyed their enemies with darts and mi ive weapons. We find, also, frequent mention of cur rus falcati, or chariots armed with hooks or scythes, with which whole ranks of soldiers were cut down together; they were used by the A yrians (Fig. 161), Persians, Syrians, Egyptians, & c. The Roman triumphal C, generally made of ivory, was of a cylindrical figure, sometimes gilt at the top and ornamented with crowns; and, to represent a victory more naturally, it was even stained with blood. It was usually drawn by 4 white horses, but often by lions, elephants, and other wild animals.-In modern parlance, the name is applied to a kind of carriage, or half-coach, four-wheeled, and drawn by iwo horses: 3:- - used generally for pleasure or travelling. [s. 166]