who invented the wheel?

Answer 1

According to most authorities, the wheel-and-axle combination originated in ancient Mesopotamia during the 5th millennium BC, probably originally in the function of potter's wheels. The wheel's efficient use of input energy must have been quickly understood by its inventors because it was almost immediately set to work in other contexts, most importantly in transport (vehicles) and in foodstuff processing (mill wheels).

The earliest undisputed depiction of a wheeled vehicle (here a wagon -- four wheels, two axles), is on the Bronocice pot, a ca. 4000 BC clay pot excavated in southern Poland.

The wheel reached Europe in the 4th millennium, and India with the Indus Valley Civilization in the 3rd millennium. In China, the wheel is certainly present with the adoption of the chariot in ca. 1200 BC, and Barbieri-Low (2000) argues for earlier Chinese wheeled vehicles, circa 2000 BC. Whether there was an independent "invention of the wheel" in East Asia or whether the concept made its way there after jumping the Himalayan barrier remains an open question.

Although they did not develop the wheel proper, the Olmec and certain other western hemisphere cultures seem to have approached it, as wheel-like worked stones have been found on objects identified as children's toys dating to about 1500 BC. The wheel was apparently unknown in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, the Pacific Islands and North America until relatively recent contacts with Eurasians.


A spoked wheel on display at The National Museum of Iran, in Tehran. The wheel is dated late second millennium BCE and was excavated at Choqa Zanbil.The invention of the wheel thus falls in the late Neolithic and may be seen in conjunction with the other technological advances that gave rise to the early Bronze Age. Note that this implies the passage of several wheel-less millennia, even after the invention of agriculture. Looking back even further, it is of some interest that although paleoanthropologists now date the emergence of anatomically modern humans to ca. 150,000 years ago, 143,000 of those years were "wheel-less". That people with capacities fully equal to our own walked the earth for so long before conceiving of the wheel may be initially surprising, but populations were extremely small through most of this period and the wheel, which requires an axle and socket to be actually useful, is not so simple a device as it may seem.

Early wheels were simple wooden disks with a hole for the axle. Note that because of the structure of wood a horizontal slice of a trunk is not suitable, as it does not have the structural strength to support weight without collapsing; rounded pieces of longitudinal boards are required. The oldest such wheel was found by the Slovenian archeologist Dr. Anton Velušček and his team in 2002 at the Ljubljana Marshes (Ljubljansko barje), some 20 kilometres southeast of Ljubljana, Slovenia.[1] According to the experts in Vienna, Austria, the specimen was manufactured somewhere between 3350 and 3100 BC and is even older than others of similar construction found in Switzerland and Germany.

The spoked wheel was invented more recently, and allowed the construction of lighter and swifter vehicles. The earliest known examples are in the context of the Andronovo culture, dating to ca 2000 BC (see chariot). Shortly later, horse cultures of the Caucasus region were given a tremendous politico-military boost by their state-of-the-art horse-drawn spoked-wheel war chariots which enabled them to range far and wide against suddenly enfeebled opposition for the greater part of three centuries, most notably deep into the Greek peninsula where they joined with the existing Mediterranean peoples to give rise, eventually, to classical Greece after the breaking of Minoan dominance and consolidations led by pre-classical Sparta and Athens. Celtic chariots introduced an iron rim around the wheel in the 1st millennium BC. The spoked wheel was in continued use without major modification until the early 20th century.

Answer 2

The wheel was invented by the civilization of the Egyptians. It was derived from the log. A large team of Egyptian middle management met to determine the potential of the new device. There was a long and procastinating discussions over its fate. Some say wars were fought. However, following years of debate by the various advisory teams, white smoke rose over the senate of the day and it was decided that the wheel would be painted yellow. It was not until the Romans came along, realised its potential and said it could be any colour you like. Futher inovations took place, the original wheel was square and pythagoras calculated that if the wheel was triangular there would be one less bump and so from these humble beginnings the modern wheel has evolved. This will not enlighten you but the answer doesnt always have to!

Answer 3

Albert Wheel

Answer 4

Some African long before there were even any Europeans or Mesopotamians.

Was it used as a wheel probably not but they did invent it. Under todays patent laws they'd be rich.

Answer 5

So no one has an answer about the greatest invention of all time? Screw Gates we all now this...So all you Mensa heads.....who invented the wheel? I'm awaiting your answer

Jean-Luc-Picard...............

Answer 6

Barney Rubble, but Fred Flintstone took the credit...

Answer 7

A caveman (by accident as all things are invented that way)

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Talk about cut and paste gimmiewag rofl

Answer 8

Ug Thadius McWheel 2356 - 2298 B.C.

Answer 9

ave u nt seen the advert for water volvic i fink its mint

Answer 10

Cavemen...