The Invention Of The Wheel

A brief history of Sapiens.

70.000 years ago, the ambitious king of the whole Earth was born in east Africa, Homo Sapiens. Back then, we were not the only human species that existed; however, we are now the only. 50.000 years ago, our ancestors decided that Africa is no longer enough and that they should discover what lies beyond the boundaries of their territories. 30.000 years ago, Sapiens are the only remaining homos on Earth, After the extinction Homo Neanderthalensis (simply known as Neanderthals). 12.000 years ago, sapiens started to cultivate land and domesticate animals in what is known as the agricultural revolution.

The foundation of agriculture was followed by the termination of the nomadic lifestyle _or almost as there is still a very small number of isolated nomadic tribes_ which depended on having enough possessions and living day by day. Sapiens started to settle their ground next to their fields and that’s how the first villages appeared. Those villages were the foundation of much larger and more complex cities and the very first appearance of civilizations and mighty empires.

“The invention of the wheel is what kept our species constantly rolling forward”

Our quest for more comfortable transport.

Humans first started using sledges to move heavy loads from one point to another. It was so tiring because they needed to pull it and the friction was so high that it was too slow and requires a lot of energy. Even when they replaced their muscular power by that of the farm animals such as donkeys, horses, oxen, etc. It was still not fast enough.

Then, they noticed that if they put circular wood logs under those sledges, it reduces the friction and it moves faster but that required them to keep moving the logs from the back to the front of those sledges to keep them going. However, the roundness of those logs provoked a new thought that would quicken the pace of history forever.

Humans decided that instead of using logs, which you have to keep moving, they made two wooden circles and fastened them on the two ends of a shaft “axel” and voila! They have invented the first wheel.

The first wheels are believed to be firstly invented in ancient Mesopotamia (now days, Iraq) some 6000 years ago. And when the European explorers and conquistadors first arrived at America, they found that the natives had already invented the wheels independently. Now the important question is how did people use wheels in the past?

“The oldest wheel discovered by archeologists was neither part of a chariot nor a potter’s wheel, it was on a small coyote figure mounted on four wheels unearthed from an Aztec tomb of a child in 1880 by Désiré Charnay”

The applications of the wheel.

The potter’s wheel:

The first wheels were invented to be used in the pottery industry. The potter’s wheel is formed of upper wheel that the potter puts his mud on, the shaft that connects the upper wheel with a lower flying wheel, and the flying wheel which is bigger and heavier than the upper wheel to give it higher momentum when the potter pushes it so that the upper wheel keeps spinning longer.

This invention transformed pottery from being mere craft to a mass-production industry.

The grinding wheel:

An old woman sitting under the shade engrossed in turning that stony wheel and keeps adding grains through an opening in the middle of that wheel and the white flour is leaking from in between the two grinding wheels. It is a common seen from all the documentaries depicting the day-to-day life of people from ancient civilizations. This marvelous application of wheels made it easier to grind grains turning them into flour that even an old man/woman can operate it.

Chariots and wagons:

“Man made the car to take us over the roads, Man made the train to carry the heavy load” James brown-This a man’s world

It’s somehow bewildering that the first wheels took relatively long time to be used in transport. As we mentioned earlier, humans used sledges to transport their loads from point to point. Finally, they decided to connect those wheels to their sledges and that’s how the first cart was born. The appearance of carts, chariots and wagons made transportation easier than any time before. Humans were able to transport their crops faster, trade more with distant villages and reconsider migration for the first time after the agricultural revolution.

Our modern life:

Nowadays, wheels have become an integral part of our life. you can see them everywhere, cars, trains, airplanes, gears, cotton candy machines, watches, London Eye, etc. The shape and size of wheels have changed dramatically since their very first prototypes were produced, thanks to our advances in understanding the laws of physics and mechanics. But the wheel’s essence is the same, it a circular object that spins around an axel.

The conclusion.

The secret behind our dominance and widespread is our ability to adapt well and fast to different environments. The invention of the wheel has changed the course of history as it quickened its pace and opened new roads and options in front of us. I cannot imagine my life without wheels.