Sunday, December 5, 2010

King Tut's Chariots Marvels of Engineering

King Tut, who was the pharaoh of Egypt over thirty three hundred years ago, owned chariots that showed great engineering for that era and even the era we are in today. When the British archeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut’s tomb in Egypt, he noticed that there were two ceremonial chariots, a smaller decorated one, and three others. These chariots represented the high engineering level of Egypt’s chariot builders. The wheels contained a tire, but they were wooden and could maneuver through many different terrains, while still having a comfortable ride. Despite its comfortable ride, recent studies showed that King Tut may have fallen from his chariot because he had malaria in his foot which caused him to be less stable on his chariot. His chariots also showed high level engineering of beams and poles between the cart and the yoke. One of King Tut’s chariots travelled outside of Egypt for the first time in three millennia to a museum in New York City to show off its details and building system. All in all, King Tut’s chariots represented high engineering.
http://news.discovery.com/history/king-tut-chariot.html

Elizabeth C. Period 7

3 comments:

Sarah Decocq said...

It is interesting that sophisticated horse-drawn chariots date back as far as King Tut of the ancient Egyptians. When thinking of Egypt and the desert, horses usually don't come to mind.

Logan Ahlf said...

It is always amazing how people thousands of years ago, without instant communication, instant research, and modern technology, had ideas and built inventions that nobody today has ever thought of or surpassed.

Unknown said...

Being a fan of engineering myself, I marvel at the ingenuity of the design, so simplistic yet so functional. I agree with Sarah in that normally i think of less noble creatures when I think of Egypt, such as the Bactrian camel. I wonder if these chariots were ever used as a stepping stone into the development of horse drawn carts to decrease manual labor? Just another theory to explore... Thanks for finding such a thought provoking article.