A Wheel

A wheel is a type of circular device used in a vehicle. It can rotate along the axis located at the center of the wheel. Rolling on the wheels changes the position of the vehicle.

The discovery of the wheel is considered a landmark event in the history of human civilization.

According to many experts, the wheel was discovered in ancient Mesopotamia around 5000 BC. In the beginning it was used by potters. Several graves have been found in the north of the Caucasus that have been buried in carts since 3700 BC. A clay pot made around 3500 BC has been found in southern Poland with a picture of a four-wheeled car. This is the oldest model of a wheeled car ever found.

The use of wheels spread to Europe and West Asia by the 4th millennium BC. The use of wheels in the Indus Valley Civilization of the Indian subcontinent began around the 3rd millennium BC. The use of wheels in China dates back to 1200 BC, when wheeled vehicles were introduced. However, according to Barbieri-Lo (2000), wheels were in use in China as early as the 2nd millennium BC.

The use of wheels is not seen in different civilizations of Central and South America. However, wheeled cars have been found as children's toys in the Almec and some other examples of American civilization. Although wheels were used in these toys around 1500 BC, wheels were not used as vehicle parts in American civilizations.

In ancient Nubia, wheels were used to make clay pots and pans, and to draw water. Wheels used to draw water from Nubia were rotated by cattle. The Nubians used horse-drawn chariots brought from Egypt.

The circulation of the wheels is somewhat hampered as there are no flat or smooth roads suitable for wheel use. In areas where there were no roads and had to walk on uneven ground, goods were carried on the backs of people or animals instead of wheeled vehicles. Even in the underdeveloped areas of the world until the twentieth century, the use of wheeled vehicles was low due to the lack of good roads.

Initially, the wheel was made of a wooden disc, with a hole in the center for the axle. Spoked wheels were invented much later. The use of this type of wheel reduces the weight of the vehicle, making it possible to build a faster vehicle. Spoken wheels have been used in contemporary Andronov culture since about 2000 BC. Shortly afterwards, the inhabitants of the Caucasus used spoke wheels on horseback. Originally used in war chariots, they used such wheels. From here the use of spoke wheels spread to the Greek peninsula. The use of wheeled vehicles contributed to the development of Greek civilization. By the 1st millennium BC, Celtic chariots had wheels with iron fences. As a result, such wheels were much stronger and more durable. Spoken wheels thus came into use around 160 AD in an almost unchanged state. Pneumatic tires on wheels began to be used around 160 AD.