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The first representation of a wheel ever found by archaeologists dates back to 3500 BC – that is, 5,500 years ago – and was made on a clay tablet found in the ruins of the city-state of Ur, where Iraq is today. This would mean that the wheel must have appeared around this time or perhaps a few centuries earlier. This evidence, however, is disputed by some historians, currently in the minority. They point to a clay pot excavated in the south of present-day Poland, which would have been made around 4000 BC and has on its surface the image of what could be a wheeled vehicle. In any case, the first wheels appear to have been made from three wooden boards cut into round shapes held together by slats. Its concept was also known in other regions of the world – the Chinese would have started using it around 2000 BC and the Olmecs, a people who lived in what is now southern Mexico, had been building toys for their children since at least 1500 BC. children with massive wheels made of stone (although curiously they never developed wheels for practical use in their daily lives!). Much later, in the Modern Age, innovations in the use of materials made invention change its face and gain efficiency. The main steps of this story can be seen in the timeline on the side.
Invention has almost six millennia of history
3500 BC
In Ur, in Mesopotamia, what is most accepted as the first representation of a wagon with solid wooden wheels appears.
2000 BC
Almost simultaneous emergence in northern Europe, Asia Minor and China of wheels with spokes, lighter than solid wheels. They are used in carriages and wagons.
1000 BC
In Western Europe, the Celts began to cover the wheels of their chariots with a metal “cover”, increasing their strength and durability.
1888
In Scotland, veterinarian and inventor John Dunlop develops the first tube tires, which he uses on a bicycle
1895
In France, the industrialist Edouard Michelin adapted Dunlop’s invention for use in automobiles, which were beginning to appear, still with spoked wooden wheels
BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY
With the mass production of automobiles, wheels are made of metal, with the development of light alloys and new materials, including carbon composites.