Note 9 — Chapter I · THE ORIGINS OF THE TANK
Reading edition
The idea of a mobile fortress or battle car is very old: chariots are known to have existed in Assyria as far back as the year 3500 b.c. The Egyptians and Israelites both adopted them from this source. In Biblical times their tactical utility was considerable, as the Book of Judges relates. The Chinese, as early as 1200 B.C., made use of war cars armoured against projectiles.