Terms Referring to Horses and Chariots in Ancient Egyptian Texts

This study examines the terminology used for horses and chariots in Ancient Egyptian texts of the New Kingdom. The available evidence indicates that the Egyptians developed and employed a structured system of classification for horses. The term ḥtr was specifically used to designate horses engaged in warfare and for pulling chariots, while ssmt functioned as a broader, more general designation. In addition to these, further expressions such as nfr and msyt nt ssmt were introduced to describe young horses, reflecting distinctions of age and developmental stages. For chariots, three main terms were consistently used. Wrry.t was used as a general term for the vehicle, mrkbt referred in particular to war chariots, and ṯprṯ was applied in the context of supply carts or transport wagons. The phrase ḥr ḥtri (“upon the pair”) was likewise used as a metonym for the war chariot itself. This lexical diversity highlights the prominent role of horses and chariots in military, religious, and social life, and reflects the development of concepts and classifications in the ancient Egyptian language.