"4 crew chariots, what’s your job?" Topic

Early chariots had one driver, one archer.
With later Assyrian chariots we see "extra" crewmen, armed with spear (I'm not going into the long weeds to argue what kind of pointy stick…) and shield.
Assyrian reliefs show the "spearmen" holding their shields to protect the archer and driver. I would argue that such projection is not only their primary function but their only function. I would argue that any rules that give a +1 bonus for javelin armed crew in a chariot with archer is missing the point. (That would be WRG, Warrior, etc.)
Chariots with only javelin armed passengers are if course a different story. That's merely a different missile weapon.

I'm not willing to die in this hill. I used to have Assyrian and Indian armies, and always fielded max chariots.
I'm just throwing it out for discussion.

Thought you were asking what MY job was.
I just grease the axles, check the tires,make sure traces are not worn our rotted.

I hand out the ice-creams to the other three halfway through the battle…

Oh. They were staff. You just can't get the Big Man to ride in the chariot without someone to take down his every word, and someone else to tell him how wise his decisions are and shout his words of wisdom to the troops. Probably that "shield" is whatever the poor flunky was writing on.

In a pinch, the chariot driver will be done without first.

I always thought those things were back-scratchers. :)

Dan

Winston has almost answered his own question. The vehicle, crew, weapons etc have some tactical role in the army – do you really need to know much more than how well they did it?

There's a lot to be said for the 'top-down' approach to these things.

db

Main job – holding on and not falling orr.

"off" I gotta get new glasses.

Why would they need oars on a chariot? Oh, amphibious assaults, of course.

My guess (and it is purely a guess) would be shield bearers and maybe swordsmen in case the chariot catches a flat on the wrong side of the battlefield.

I hold the jar of Grey Poupon mustard at the ready.

A note of caution; I think that the four horse chariot depiction is from a lion hunt. It might be the case that the two chaps with shields had a different, more offensive role, in warfare.

While the chariot is mobile, the primary job of the shield guys is to protect the driver and archer.
If the chariot is immobilised, they provide some close combat ability.
If the chariot needs to be carried over rough ground, they provide the necessary muscle.

Might they be chariot runners hitching a ride?, dismounting to fight when the close melee starts.