For about 500 years prior to 1200 BC, the chariot archer dominated the battlefields of the Middle East and Western India. The chariot, and indeed horses, were unknown to Egypt before 1720 BC when they were invaded by the Hyksos. The Egyptians were quick to adopt the new technology, and the chariot remained the elite shock troop of Egypt for hundreds of years. All the great civilizations of the time, principally the Egyptians and Hittites to the west, were sufficiently wealthy and advanced to field forces of these relatively expensive weapons. The elites of these cultures hunted from chariots and archery skill was prized. Surrounding barbarians were intimidated by the fast and accurate archers until they learned how to kill the horses or otherwise disable the team. Egypt's chariots were so light that two men could bear them across a stream, and the chariot corps was supported logistically by mobile repair stations. Around 1200 BC, chariot archers largely disappeared and barbarians, whose origin remains unknown today, overran the cultures that used them.