2300 Year Old Scythian Chariot
Pazyryk Culture, c. 5th-4th century BC, found in the Fifth Pazyryk mound, Big Ulagan, Pazyryk valley, Gorny Altai, Russia. Made of leather and wood.
The large chariot is one of the most spectacular finds of the Fifth Pazyryk mound. It’s made of birch, and its body consists of three frames with interconnected columns and carved leather straps forming a platform on which stands a gazebo canopy. The huge wheels have 34 spokes which were strengthened by glued birch bark. This chariot was collapsible so it could be carried instead of being pulled when going over treacherous terrain, such as mountains.
The Pazyryk Culture is a Scythian Iron Age archaeological culture (c. 6th to 3rd centuries BC) identified by excavated artifacts and mummified humans found in the Siberian permafrost, in the Altay Mountains, Kazakhstan and nearby Mongolia (map).