Celtic Chariot

Timeline

1. c. -500–-350Western Gaul · GaulCeltic chariots featured light wooden bodies, iron wheel hubs and draft poles, drawn by two horses; the warrior stood to throw javelins or wield a sword while the driver handled the vehicle, forming a distinctive two-man tactical unit.
2. c. -300–-100Gaul and northern Iberia · GaulClassical authors such as Polybius and Livy recorded Celtic chariot tactics of charging at high speed into enemy formations, hurling weapons, and withdrawing; chariots were also used for chieftain mobility and battlefield command, reflecting the high mobility of Celtic military organization.
3. c. -80–1Southern Britain · British IslesCaesar still encountered Celtic chariot units during his expeditions to Britain; complete chariot fittings unearthed from tombs in Wiltshire and elsewhere prove that Britain maintained chariot warfare traditions around the turn of the era, while continental Gaul gradually abandoned this tactic under Roman conquest.