First Wheel
3500 BCE • Mesopotamia
"The earliest evidence of wheeled vehicles dates back to approximately 3500-3300 BCE in Mesopotamia, a region that encompassed parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, and Iran. These early wheels were not solid disks as we commonly envision them today but rather wooden disks with a hole in the center for an axle. They were attached to carts used for transporting goods, primarily in agricultural and trade activities."
Cierra Tolentino, "Who Invented the Wheel? History of the Wheel," History Cooperative, January 29, 2024.
Image: Public domain
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