The Unlikely Birth of the Wheel: Computer Simulations Reveal the Evolution of a World-Changing Technology

Strategic Insights -

According to a 2015 theory, miners in the Carpathian Mountains, now in Hungary, may have first invented the wheel nearly 6,000 years ago as a means to transport copper ore. Archaeologists have discovered over 150 miniaturized wagons made from clay, with the outer surfaces engraved with a wickerwork pattern reminiscent of the basketry used by mining communities at the time. The discovery of these clay wagons, which were dated to be around 3900 B.C.E., suggests that the wheel was not just a simple invention, but a gradual evolution from a more primitive technology.

Key Takeaways:

  • The wheel may have originated from wooden rollers used in mines, rather than from simple wooden rollers as previously assumed.
  • The transition from rollers to wheels requires two key innovations: modification of the cart and change to the rollers themselves.
  • The discovery of socketed rollers, which held the rollers in place, represented a turning point in the evolution of the wheel.
  • A computer simulation of the wheel's evolution, driven by mechanical advantage, ultimately converged upon the familiar wheel-and-axle shape.
  • The evolution of the wheel was not a precise moment, but a gradual process, with small improvements being favored over time.
  • The invention of the wheel is attributed to miners in the Carpathian Mountains, who may have discovered it nearly 6,000 years ago.

Statistics:

  • The wheel may have originated from wooden rollers used in mines, with over 150 miniaturized wagons discovered in the Carpathian Mountains.
  • The miners in the Carpathian Mountains may have invented the wheel nearly 6,000 years ago, around 3900 B.C.E.
  • The algorithm used in the computer simulation evaluated hundreds of potential roller shapes, ultimately converging upon the wheeled-and-axle design.
  • The algorithm showed that the ball bearings, which revolutionized wheeled transportation, are conceptually identical to rollers, the wheel's evolutionary precursor.

Sources:

  • [Kai James, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology](https://www.gatech.edu/scholar/kai-james)
  • [The Conversation -- USA](https://theconversation.com/us)
  • [How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago -- https://theconversation.com/how-was-the-wheel-invented-computer-simulations-reveal-the-unlikely-birth-of-a-world-changing-technology-nearly-6-000-years-ago-244038](https://theconversation.com/how-was-the-wheel-invented-computer-simulations-reveal-the-unlikely-birth-of-a-world-changing-technology-nearly-6-000-years-ago-244038)