Twelve-thousand years ago, people in a coastal village in the Levant used stone weights on their spindles to spin thread faster and more evenly—and, some archeologists are arguing, in the process they ...

The invention of the wheel is often hailed as one of the most transformative moments in human history. Yet, for all its importance, the origins of this revolutionary technology remain murky.

The wheel, archaeologists largely agree, was invented around 6,000 years ago somewhere in Mesopotamia. Together with the axle it revolutionized human technological history and in time led to the ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Yashuv, Grosman, 2024, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 Archaeologists in Israel have identified what ...

Evidence indicates the wheel was created to serve as potter's wheels around 3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia—300 years before they were used for chariots. Jim Vecchi / Corbis It’s fair to say that when an ...