Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot with bladed wheels to attack enemy troops.
The design drew on the ancient idea of the scythed chariot, a vehicle fitted with blades intended to cut through formations. Leonardo’s version used a horse-drawn platform with rotating or projecting blades at the sides. It appears among his military engineering studies, where he explored ways to increase the reach and shock effect of battlefield vehicles.
Leonardo did not invent the scythed chariot concept. Ancient Persian armies used such vehicles, and Greek and Roman writers described them. Leonardo’s contribution was a Renaissance redesign based on mechanical observation and updated battlefield assumptions.
The vehicle was a sketch rather than a documented weapon used in combat. Its effectiveness would have depended on terrain, speed, control, and the ability of soldiers to avoid or stop it. It is separate from Leonardo’s armored fighting vehicle.