Even though the invention of the wheel around 6,000 years ago revolutionized everything from transportation to pottery making, its exact origins are still a mystery to archaeologists. But a new study using techniques from structural mechanics suggests that Eastern European copper miners may have been the driving force behind three major innovations in wheel technology as early as 3900 B.C.
Archaeological evidence of wheels and wheeled vehicles abounds in the Copper Age (around 5000 to 3000 B.C.) across Europe, Asia and Northern Africa, including battle scenes painted on walls, miniature wheels, children’s toys, wagon burials and even early textual references to the technology. Because the wheel was adopted so quickly, though, it is unclear exactly where and when it was first invented — or if it was invented independently in different times and places.
There are three main theories for the wheel’s origin. One suggests that it first appeared in Mesopotamia around 4000 B.C. and then spread to Europe. Another theory suggests it was developed around the Pontic coast of northern Turkey around 3800 B.C. The third major theory argues that the wheel was invented in the Carpathian Mountains between 4000 and 3500 B.C., and spread in various directions from there.
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