Welcome to Tech Advanced Pro. In this blog we will discuss about Wheels Who Created the Wheels and Why Did it Take So Long to Invent It? If you need to know about specific topics, please see our table of content below and select your topic. Thank you and let’s get started.
The wheel is a very important invention for humans. So much so that the world cannot be imagined without it.
Definition of the Wheel
Wheel means a mechanical part that is in the shape of a wheel and rotates on an axis.
Oldest Evidence of the Wheel
The oldest evidence of the wheel dates back to 3500 BC, found in ancient Mesopotamia. These wheels were used by pottery makers.
The Context of the Wheel’s Invention
By the time evidence of the wheel is found, humans had developed a complex society in which economic, social, and religious systems existed. Animals were domesticated and farmed for many centuries.
The Puzzling Delay in Inventing the Wheel
By this time, humans had learned to make sewing needles, clothes, baskets, flutes, and boats. Then how did it take so long to invent the wheel?
Finding Inspiration for the Wheel
Experts say the reason for this delay is that wheels are not found naturally. Man got inspiration for most of his inventions from the physical world, but naturally, such examples are not found to inspire humans that wheels can prove to be useful. Making a wheel is an example of man’s ability to invent.
Anthropological Perspective on Wheel Invention
Anthropologist David Anthony, author of ‘The Horse, Wheel and Language’, explains, “It is worth noting that the point here is not to make a rolling cylinder but rather to make a wheel that rotates on an axis.”
Scientific Aspects of Wheel Creation
He says that a wheel can be formed only when the cylinder or wheel is attached to something that provides stability.
Early Use of Wheels in Utensil Making
The earliest wheels used by humans were used to make utensils for thousands of years. First lathe machines were made. The pot makers used to rotate them with hands or feet.
Challenges in Adapting the Wheel for Vehicles
A few centuries later, pottery makers began using lathes or wheels with the help of wheels. They started using heavy stones so that more energy could be generated by moving them. Thinking of making a vehicle by modifying this idea was a challenge. This required quick understanding and could only be done with metal tools.
Precision in Wheel Design
To rotate the wheels without obstruction due to friction, it was necessary that there should be a round hole in the middle. Also, the pole on which this wheel was to be mounted was also required to be round and soft.
Not only this, it was also important for the pole to fit properly. If it is too loose, the wheels will wobble; if it is too tight, they will not rotate properly. The thickness of the stick should not be too much because it would create more friction. If it had been too thin it would have broken.
Anthony explains in his book, “In vehicles used to lift heavy objects, it was effective to have a smaller shaft of smaller diameter and shorter length. That is why in the early rods this shaft was only one meter long.”
Developmental Stages of Wheel Creation
Experts say that there is doubt that the development of making such a delicate system would have taken place in several stages. According to him, its structure must have been built in one go.
Rapid Spread of the Wheel
Perhaps it will never be known who created the first wheel. But archaeological evidence shows that this invention spread rapidly in Eurasia and the Middle East. There is numerous evidence of the use of the wheel from 3400 BC. There are many pictures of them in the form of chariots and four-wheelers and many models of rods can be seen. Samples of wheels and their wooden axles are also found.
Controversy in Wheel’s Origin
The oldest images of wheeled carts found date back to 3500-3350 BC, which were made to decorate pottery. These belong to the Trichterbeker culture. There is a dispute between this region and Mesopotamia (Iraq) as to whose place made the wheel first.
Three-dimensional clay models of four-wheeled carts have been found in graves in eastern Hungary dated to 3310–3100 BC. 250 cars dating back to 3000-2000 BC have also been found in cemeteries in Russia and Ukraine.
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