Mycenaean chariots... The Greek knights of the Bronze Age
The early Mycenaean army was one of the strongest of its time in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. His main source of strength was his infantry trained to fight in dense formation with long spears and his light shock tanks.
The chariots were two-wheeled, of light but sturdy construction and were usually drawn by two horses, sometimes by three. Each chariot was ridden by two men, the warrior and the charioteer . In the early Mycenaean period Epetis , the chariot warrior, wore heavy Tree-type armor , helmet, long lance (sound) and sword.
The charioteers could also carry weapons. They wore a helmet and a thick woolen tunic, which provided them with rudimentary protection from enemy projectiles. Epetis did not carry a shield . His armor was so strong and gave him such almost complete protection that it made the use of a shield unnecessary.
The tanks were lined up. The passage from the Iliad is indicative, in which the experienced old king of Pylos Nestora appears to guide the charioteers:"He commanded the horsemen first, ordering their horses to hold back and not shake the group. Let no one in chivalry and valor having conviction alone before others rush the Trojans to fight, do not retreat, for you will be more vulnerable.
"And whoever comes from his own vehicle to another should strike him with his spear, because it is much better that way. In this way the ancient cities and walls were built, having this mind and soul in their breasts" (Iliad, D 301-309).
Many useful conclusions can be drawn from this passage. It seems that maintaining the order of the formation was a matter of primary importance. Nestor exhorts the charioteers to maintain their yokes at all costs, without individual outbursts of heroism, without cowardice. All the chariots were to move in concert against the enemy and strike him with their spears, just as their fathers had successfully done in the past. In other words, it speaks of a massive, organized invasion.