The Sumerians of Mesopotamia were among the first to use war chariots and the ‘phalanx’ formation, as shown in contemporary sources such as the Standard of Ur and the Stele of Vultures.
This picture depicts a typical Sumerian four-wheeled war chariot. Heavy in construction and pulled by four wild donkeys, it was intended to crash through enemy ranks, unlike more manoeuvrable designs of later centuries. The onagers are restrained by a crude ring device through the upper lip, and wear cloth tassels around their collars. The two-man crew consists of a charioteer and King Eannatum of Lagash, armed with a javelin and wearing tassels of goat hair for protection. He is giving directions to a heavy infantryman, who is equipped for fighting in a phalanx with a large shield, spear, bronze helmet, and metal-studded cloak.
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 