Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot with blades intended to cut through enemy troops.
The design shows a horse-drawn vehicle carrying rotating blades or scythes. As the chariot moved across a battlefield, the blades were meant to sweep through nearby soldiers. Leonardo’s version belongs to a much older tradition: scythed chariots were associated with ancient armies, including forces of the Persian king Darius I.
Leonardo revisited the idea during the Renaissance, when military engineers studied ancient weapons alongside new firearms and fortifications. His drawing illustrates how he adapted a historical concept into a mechanically organized vehicle. The machine’s practical dangers were considerable, since rotating blades could threaten friendly troops as well as enemies.
The scythed chariot is not the same machine as Leonardo’s armored vehicle. The chariot emphasizes offensive cutting blades, while the armored vehicle emphasizes protective cover and cannon fire. Neither design is known to have entered regular service under Leonardo.