No, that isn't a photo-shopped image or an optical illusion. It is actually possible to put whatever unit you want onto a chariot! To be more specific, it is possible to place any unit you wish onto a "Hero Chariot". This is made possible with the "Mount Object" efect found in the "Objects" section of the "Effects" tab. To have this effect work properly you need to do the following:

1)Make an object for the Hero Chariot.

2)Make (an) object(s) for the unit(s) that you wish to mount.

3)Make an area specified for the location that the unit is to be mounted on.
- Create a new area and select the "Mountable Object" selection from the first drop-down list
- Select the Hero Chariot object from the next drop down list.
- Now select an area near the back of the chariot that is touching the gold rim at the back of the platform. This is where the unit will mount. Setting the mounting area anywhere else on the chariot (not touching the gold rime) will cause the unit to mount on the chariot draught pole, not on the platform. I have not yet discovered a way around this.

4)Go back to the "Mount Object" effect and specify the unit and the area you just created (select them from the drop down lists)

5)Set this effect in a trigger set on "Always True" and you should see the unit you chose to mount quickly appear in the appropiate position.

If you want the mounted unit(s) to be facing the direction the chariot is going, choose the effect "Face Object" and have the unit you chose to mount "Face to Object" the Hero Chariot.

If you want the charioteer to "lance" like I have shown above, make a trigger that says when the charioteer is near an enemy unit (use an object specification) an animation effect will fire. In this case the animation is "spr_attack1". Set a "Trigger On" effect for this trigger so that it will repeat itself everytime the condition is true. Then make trigger that says if the charioteer is NOT near an enemy unit (you can use the same object specification as the last trigger just check the "Not" box) another animation effect will fire. In this case "spr_fidget1_1" to make the charioteer hold his spear in a relaxed position.

I was amazed how historically accurate this setup for chariots is after reading this in the "Iliad",
"'When a man from his own a car encounters the enemy chariots let him stab with his spear, since this is the stronger fighting. So the men before your time sacked tower and city, keeping a spirit like this in their hearts, and like this their purpose.'" The Iliad of Homer translated by Richmond Lattimore
I found this picture of a Mycenaean chariot as described by Nestor in the "Iliad". I will definetly be using this trick when I release my Trojan War scenario in a few months time.