Chariots

[JoatSimeon at aol.com]

>horses not only yoked but also specifically says that bits were placed within
>their jaws - "en de chalinous gampheleis ebalon."

-- I think the original reference was to how the horses were hitched for
traction, not how they were steered.

>Moderator's comment:
>Homer also describes chariots leaping across ditches, and doing other things
>that a chariot could not do, but a bridled horse could.

-- Chariots were used in Greece for display and sport in Homer's day,
particularly in aristocratic circles.  I'd think he was pretty familiar with
them.

[ Moderator's reply:
  The Romans of the first centuries of the common era also used chariots in
  festivals, but I doubt that either group understood how they would be used
  in warfare.  Certainly, a chariot would not behave as described by Homer.
  --rma ]