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Throughout the Biblical Age, however, from the first battle wagons drawn by wild asses used by the Sumerians to the four-horsed, armoured chariots of Assyria, chariotry were the elite core of almost every army that could acquire them. The Persians were among the last nations to use them, and even then mainly as a command vehicle or scythed terror weapon. Up to then, chariots had dominated the battlefield. At this time, the cavalryman was beginning to make his mark in warfare and would do so spectacularly in the battles of Alexander. In the 6th century BC, the conquering Persian Empire swallowed up the old Biblical nations and clashed with the rising civilisation of Classical Greece. This era is therefore called the “Biblical” Age. Eventually scholars and archaeologists would track down the surviving records of the other civilisations revealing an entire lost world that existed long before Classical Greece and the rise of the Roman Empire. It contains much information on the warfare of the period. Their story is recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible which mentions the enemies and empires against which they contended, such as Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. Through conquest they would carve out a kingdom of their own, only to be conquered themselves in turn. One of these groups of nomadic tribes was the ancient Hebrews. With various tribes and cities struggling for the same pieces of precious fertile land, or regions rich in raw materials, warfare began here very early and has remained frequent ever since. To the south stretched the endless deserts of Arabia.
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To the west from over the Mediterranean and Aegean seas came sea raiders. To the north and east the high mountain ranges were inhabited by fiercely independent tribes, and beyond these were vast steppes from whence came yet more invading nomads. These were separated by vast tracts of desert from whence came waves of nomadic invaders. The river valleys were very fertile and supported large populations. In ancient times, this region was the hub of the old world, where three continents met Asia, Europe and Africa. Much of the action took place in the Middle East the “cradle of civilisation”. During this time many civilisations flourished and several great empires rose and fell. The “Biblical” or “Chariot” Age lasted from around 3000BC to 500BC.
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