Savaş-Arabaları’nın İç Asya – Çin Cephesi (M.Ö. XII. – M.Ö. VIII. Yy.)

Savaşlar tarihine baktığımızda bilhassa Bronz ve Erken Demir Çağları’nın en ün yapmış silahının savaş-arabaları olduğu görülür. Başlangıçta bir prestij, seromoni ve avcılık aracı olarak kullanılmaya başlayan “savaş-arabaları”, iki tekerli ispitli hafif ve kompozit yapılı formu ile İlk Çağ’ın en büyük askeri icatlarından birine dönüşmüştür. Savaş-arabalarının, kuvvetle muhtemel atın da evcilleştirildiği kuzey-batı Bozkır kuşağında başlayan serüveni birkaç yüzyıl içinde bilhassa Andronovo kültürünün de etkisiyle neredeyse Eski Kıta’nın tamamına yayıldı. Yapılan arkeolojik ve kimyasal çalışmalar ile artık erken metal teknolojisi gibi savaş-arabası teknolojisinin de Merkezi Ovalar’a (Çin), Bozkır Kuşağı üzerinden Kuzey ve/veya Kuzey-batı yönünden girdiği açık bir şekilde ortaya konmuştur. Çin’in gerekli dinamiklere sahip olması sayesinde daha ileri seviyelere taşınmıştır. Böylece bu araçların “üreticileri” oldukları düşünülen “Bozkırlılara” karşı üstün gelmeyi başarmışlardır. Biz bu makalede savaş-arabalarının, Çin ile İç Asya’nın Bozkır kuşağı kavimleri arasında vuku bulan muharebelerdeki yerine kısaca değinmeye çalışacağız.

The Inner Asia – China Aspect of War-Chariots (c. XII. – VIII. BCE)

A close look at history of wars reveals that the “war-chariots” were probably the mostprominent weapon of Bronze and Early Iron Ages. Firstly used as a prestige, ceremonial andhunting vehicle, the chariots especially their light-composite with spoked two-wheeled form,became the greatest military invention of the Antiquity. The beginning of its adventure inthe North-western Steppe Zone, as the same region where the horse was also most probablydomesticated, they spreaded all over the Old Continent particularly by the help of theAndronovo Culture which had relied heavily upon and far-famed for their war-chariots. Withthe archaelogical and chemical studies, it is now obviously clear that the Bronze Age war chariot technology had entered to the Central Plains (China) from the North and/or NorthWestern Steppe Zone as like as the early metallurgy technologies. China had taken thesetechnologies to higher levels because of possessing the required dynamics. Thus, theysucceeded to prevail against the “Steppe peoples” who were thought to be the “producers” of these vehicles. In this article, we will try to briefly mention the place of the war-chariotsin the battles between the steppe peoples of Inner Asia and China.

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