Ananova:
Leather thongs kept early Britons on track
Engineers have discovered the early type of suspension system used by Ancient Britons on their chariots.
Until now reconstructions of the vehicles have been so unsteady riders have been bounced out.
The breakthrough came when archaeologists found the remains of a system based on stretched leather thongs.
The Times reports that a replica, made for a TV programme, is the first chariot which has been proven to work.
It was built by Robert Hurford, a wheelwright from Somerset, and is based on finds from a chariot burial at Wetwang, east Yorkshire.
A woman found in the grave has been referred to as "the Yorkshire Boadicea" and her cart had two pairs of flexed ash wood arches.
Mr Hurford realised each arch supported a Y-system of rawhide thongs that helped the chariot ride over bumps.
Tests carried out by BBC2 for its TV series Meet the Ancestors showed the charioteer stood on a rawhide flooring which made the ride smooth enough to throw spears accurately.
Story filed: 07:45 Tuesday 19th February 2002