During the Second Intermediate Period, the Hyksos introduced new military technology to Egypt, including the horse and the war chariot, whose use was reserved for the pharaoh and the nobility. Soldiers adopted many weapons and pieces of equipment from Syria and the Hittites, such as the triangular bow, the helmet, and scale armor.
Egyptian chariots had their axle set at the rear, and their wheel track was far wider than the body of the vehicle, making them very hard to overturn and able to turn and change direction quickly. They were crewed by two men: a "seneny" (archer) and the driver, or "kedjen," who also had to shield the archer in battle