# Wheel

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Circular component rotating on an axle

For other uses, see [Wheel (disambiguation)](/source/Wheel_(disambiguation)) and [Wheels (disambiguation)](/source/Wheels_(disambiguation)).

Spoked wheel of reconstructed Celtic funerary wagon, 550 BCE, Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave, Germany Type Invention Inventor First recorded use in Sumer Inception Before c. 3500–3350 BCE Available Globally

A **wheel** is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) intended to turn on an [axle](/source/Axle) [bearing](/source/Bearing_(mechanical)). The wheel is one of the key components of the [wheel and axle](/source/Wheel_and_axle), which is one of the [six simple machines](/source/Simple_machine). Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be moved easily, facilitating transportation, supporting loads, and performing work in machines. Wheels are also used for other purposes, such as a [ship's wheel](/source/Ship's_wheel), [steering wheel](/source/Steering_wheel), [potter's wheel](/source/Potter's_wheel), and [flywheel](/source/Flywheel).

Common examples can be found in [transport](/source/Transport) applications. A wheel reduces [friction](/source/Friction) by facilitating motion by [rolling](/source/Rolling) together with the use of [axles](/source/Axle). For a wheel to rotate, a [moment](/source/Moment_(physics)) must be applied to the wheel about its axis, either by gravity or by the application of another external force or [torque](/source/Torque).

## Terminology

The English word *[wheel](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wheel)* comes from the [Old English](/source/Old_English) word *hwēol*, from [Proto-Germanic](/source/Proto-Germanic_language) **hwehwlaz*, from [Proto-Indo-European](/source/Proto-Indo-European_language) **kwékwlos*,[1] an extended form of the root **kwel-* 'to revolve, move around'. Cognates within Indo-European include [Icelandic](/source/Icelandic_language) *hjól* 'wheel, tyre', [Greek](/source/Greek_language) κύκλος *kúklos*, and [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit) *[chakra](/source/Chakra)*, the last two both meaning 'circle' or 'wheel'.[2]

## History

The wheel undoubtedly evolved from pre-historic use of rollers (round tree logs) to move heavier objects such as rock slabs and bigger logs. The invention of the solid wooden wheel (disk on axle) dates to the late [Neolithic](/source/Neolithic) and may be seen in conjunction with other technological advances that gave rise to the early [Bronze Age](/source/Bronze_Age). This implies the passage of several wheel-less millennia even after the [invention of agriculture](/source/Neolithic_Revolution) and of [pottery](/source/Pottery), during the [pre-pottery Neolithic](/source/Pre-pottery_Neolithic).

- 4500–3300 BCE ([Copper Age](/source/Chalcolithic)): invention of the [potter's wheel](/source/Potter's_wheel); earliest solid wooden wheels (disks with a hole for the axle); earliest wheeled vehicles

- 3300–2200 BCE ([Early Bronze Age](/source/Early_Bronze_Age))

- 2200–1550 BCE ([Middle Bronze Age](/source/Middle_Bronze_Age)): invention of the [spoked](/source/Spoke) wheel and the [chariot](/source/Chariot); [domestication of the horse](/source/Domestication_of_the_horse)

The [Ljubljana Marshes Wheel](/source/Ljubljana_Marshes_Wheel) with axle, the oldest wooden wheel yet discovered, dating to the [Copper Age](/source/Copper_Age) (c. 3130 BCE)

The [Halaf](/source/Halaf) culture of 6500–5100 BCE is sometimes credited with the earliest depiction of a wheeled vehicle, but there is no evidence that Halafians used wheeled vehicles or pottery wheels.[3] Potter's wheels are thought to have been used in the 4th millennium BCE in the Middle East.[4] The oldest surviving example of a potter's wheel was thought to be one found in [Ur](/source/Ur) (modern [Iraq](/source/Iraq)) dating to approximately 3100 BCE.[5] However, a potter's wheel found in [western Ukraine](/source/Western_Ukraine), of the [Cucuteni–Trypillia culture](/source/Cucuteni%E2%80%93Trypillia_culture), dates to the middle of the 5th millennium BCE which predates the earliest use of the potter's wheel in Mesopotamia.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Wheels of uncertain dates have been found in the [Indus Valley civilization](/source/Indus_Valley_civilization) of the late 4th millennium BCE covering areas of modern India and [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan).[12]

The oldest indirect evidence of wheeled movement was found in the form of miniature clay wheels north of the Black Sea before 4000 BCE. From the middle of the [4th millennium BCE](/source/4th_millennium_BCE) onward, the evidence is condensed throughout Europe in the form of toy cars, depictions, or ruts, with the oldest find in Northern Germany dating back to around 3400 BCE.[13][14][15] In [Mesopotamia](/source/Mesopotamia), depictions of wheeled [wagons](/source/Wagon) found on [clay tablet](/source/Clay_tablet) [pictographs](/source/Pictographs) at the [Eanna district](/source/Uruk#Eanna_District) of [Uruk](/source/Uruk), in the [Sumerian](/source/Sumer) civilization are dated to c. 3500–3350 BCE.[16] In the second half of the 4th millennium BCE, evidence of wheeled vehicles appeared near-simultaneously in the Northern ([Maykop culture](/source/Maykop_culture)) and South [Caucasus](/source/Caucasus) and [Eastern Europe](/source/Eastern_Europe) (Cucuteni–Trypillia culture).

A depiction of an [onager](/source/Onager)-drawn cart on the [Sumerian](/source/Sumer) "War" panel of the [Standard of Ur](/source/Standard_of_Ur) (c. 2500 BCE)

Depictions of a wheeled vehicle appeared between 3631 and 3380 BCE in the [Bronocice clay pot](/source/Bronocice_pot) excavated in a [Funnelbeaker culture](/source/Funnelbeaker_culture) settlement in southern [Poland](/source/Poland).[17] In nearby [Olszanica](/source/Zwierzyniec_(Krak%C3%B3w)), a 2.2 m wide door was constructed for wagon entry; this barn was 40 m long with three doors, dated to 5000 BCE, and belonged to the Neolithic [Linear Pottery culture](/source/Linear_Pottery_culture).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Surviving evidence of a wheel-axle combination, from Stare Gmajne near Ljubljana in Slovenia (wooden [Ljubljana Marshes Wheel](/source/Ljubljana_Marshes_Wheel)), is dated within two [standard deviations](/source/Standard_deviations) to 3340–3030 BCE, the axle to 3360–3045 BCE.[18] Two types of early Neolithic European wheel and axle are known: a [circumalpine](/source/Prehistoric_pile_dwellings_around_the_Alps) type of wagon construction (the wheel and axle rotate together, as in Ljubljana Marshes Wheel), and that of the [Baden culture](/source/Baden_culture) in [Hungary](/source/Hungary) (axle does not rotate). They both are dated to c. 3200–3000 BCE.[19] Some historians believe that there was a diffusion of the wheeled vehicle from the [Near East](/source/Near_East) to Europe around the mid-4th millennium BCE.[20]

Solid wheels on a heavy [temple car](/source/Temple_car), contrasted with the lighter [wire-spoked wheels](/source/Wire-spoked_wheel) of the black [roadster bicycle](/source/Roadster_(bicycle)) in the foreground

Early wheels were simple wooden disks with a hole for the axle. Some of the earliest wheels were made from horizontal slices of tree trunks. Because of the uneven structure of [wood](/source/Wood), a wheel made from a horizontal slice of a tree trunk will tend to be inferior to one made from rounded pieces of longitudinal boards.

The [spoked](/source/Spoke) wheel was invented more recently and allowed the construction of lighter and swifter vehicles. The earliest known examples of wooden spoked wheels are from the [Sintashta culture](/source/Sintashta_culture), dating to c. 2000 BCE ([Krivoye Lake](/source/Krivoye_Lake)). Soon after this, horse cultures of the [Caucasus](/source/Caucasus) region used horse-drawn spoked-wheel war [chariots](/source/Chariot) for the greater part of three centuries. They moved 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](/source/Minoan_civilization) dominance and consolidations led by pre-classical [Sparta](/source/Sparta) and [Athens](/source/Athens). [Celtic](/source/Celt) chariots introduced an [iron](/source/Iron) rim around the wheel in the 1st millennium BCE.

In China, wheel tracks dating to around 2200 BCE have been found at Pingliangtai, a site of the [Longshan Culture](/source/Longshan_Culture).[21] Similar tracks were also found at [Yanshi](/source/Yanshi), a city of the [Erlitou culture](/source/Erlitou_culture), dating to around 1700 BCE. The earliest evidence of spoked wheels in China comes from [Qinghai](/source/Qinghai), in the form of two wheel hubs from a site dated between 2000 and 1500 BCE.[22] Wheeled vehicles were introduced to China from the west.[23][24][25]

In Britain, a large wooden wheel, measuring about 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter, was uncovered at the [Must Farm](/source/Must_Farm) site in East Anglia in 2016. The specimen, dating from 1,100 to 800 BCE, represents the earliest and most complete of its type found in Britain. The wheel's hub is also present. A horse's spine found nearby suggests the wheel may have been part of a horse-drawn cart. The wheel was found in a settlement built on stilts over a wetland, indicating that the settlement had some link to dry land.[26]

A figurine featuring the [New World](/source/New_World)'s independently invented wheel. Among the places where wheeled toys were found, [Mesoamerica](/source/Mesoamerica) is the only one where the wheel was never put to practical use before the 16th century.

Although large-scale use of wheels did not occur in [the Americas before European contact](/source/Pre-Columbian_era), numerous small wheeled artifacts, identified as children's toys, have been found in Mexican archeological sites, some dating to approximately 1500 BCE.[27] Some argue that the primary obstacle to large-scale development of the wheel in the Americas was the absence of domesticated large animals that could be used to pull wheeled carriages.[28] The closest relative of [cattle](/source/Cattle) in Americas in pre-Columbian times, the [American bison](/source/American_bison), is difficult to domesticate and was never domesticated by Native Americans; several horse species existed until about 12,000 years ago, but ultimately became extinct.[29] The only large animal that was domesticated in the Western hemisphere, the [llama](/source/Llama), a pack animal, was not physically suited to use as a draft animal to pull wheeled vehicles,[30] and use of the llama did not spread far beyond the [Andes](/source/Andes) by the time of the arrival of Europeans.

On the other hand, [Mesoamericans](/source/Mesoamerica) never developed the [wheelbarrow](/source/Wheelbarrow), the potter's wheel, nor any other practical object with a wheel or wheels.[31][32] Although part of several toys, very similar to those found throughout the world and still made for children ("pull toys"),[31][32] the wheel was never put into practical use in Mesoamerica before the 16th century.[31][32] Possibly the closest the Mayas came to the utilitarian wheel is the [spindle whorl](/source/Spindle_whorl), and some scholars believe that these toys were originally made with spindle whorls and spindle sticks as "wheels" and "axes".[32]

[Aboriginal Australians](/source/Aboriginal_Australians) traditionally used circular discs rolled along the ground for target practice.[33]

[Nubians](/source/Nubia) from after about 400 BCE used wheels for spinning pottery and as [water wheels](/source/Water_wheel).[34] It is thought that Nubian waterwheels may have been ox-driven.[35] It is also known that Nubians used horse-drawn chariots imported from [Egypt](/source/Egypt).[36]

Starting from the 18th century in West Africa, wheeled vehicles were mostly used for ceremonial purposes in places like [Dahomey](/source/Dahomey).[37] The wheel was barely used for transportation, except [Ethiopia](/source/Ethiopia) and [Somalia](/source/Somalia) in [Sub-Saharan Africa](/source/Sub-Saharan_Africa) well into the 19th century.[38][37]

Three spoked wheels on an antique [tricycle](/source/Tricycle)

The spoked wheel was in continued use without major modification until the 1870s, when [wire-spoked wheels](/source/Wire-spoked_wheel) and [pneumatic tires](/source/Pneumatic_tire) were invented.[39] [Pneumatic tires](/source/Pneumatic_tire) can greatly reduce rolling resistance and improve comfort. Wire spokes are under tension, not compression, which makes the wheel both stiff and light. Early radially spoked wire wheels gave rise to tangentially spoked wire wheels, which were widely used on cars into the late 20th century. Cast [alloy wheels](/source/Alloy_wheel) are more commonly used. Forged alloy wheels are used when weight is critical.

The invention of the wheel has also been important for [technology](/source/Technology) in general, important applications including the water wheel, the [cogwheel](/source/Cogwheel) (see also [antikythera mechanism](/source/Antikythera_mechanism)), the [spinning wheel](/source/Spinning_wheel), and the [astrolabe](/source/Astrolabe) or [torquetum](/source/Torquetum). More modern descendants of the wheel include the [propeller](/source/Propeller), the [jet engine](/source/Jet_engine), the [flywheel](/source/Flywheel) ([gyroscope](/source/Gyroscope)) and the [turbine](/source/Turbine).

## Mechanics and function

This section is about the application to transport. For the simple machine, see [Wheel and axle](/source/Wheel_and_axle).

A wheeled vehicle requires much less work to move than simply dragging the same weight. The low resistance to motion is explained by the fact that the [frictional work](/source/Friction) done is no longer at the surface that the vehicle is traversing, but in the [bearings](/source/Bearing_(mechanical)). In the simplest and oldest case, the bearing is just a round hole through which the axle passes (a "[plain bearing](/source/Plain_bearing)"). Even with a plain bearing, the frictional work is greatly reduced because:

- The normal force at the sliding interface is the same as with simple dragging.

- The sliding distance is reduced for a given distance of travel.

- The coefficient of friction at the interface is usually lower.

Example:

- If a 100 kg object is dragged for 10 m along a surface with the [coefficient of friction](/source/Coefficient_of_friction) *μ* = 0.5, the [normal force](/source/Normal_force) is 981 [N](/source/Newton_(unit)) and the [work](/source/Mechanical_work) done (required [energy](/source/Energy)) is (work=force x distance) 981 × 0.5 × 10 = 4905 [joules](/source/Joule).

- Now give the object 4 wheels. The normal force between the 4 wheels and axles is the same (in total) 981 N. Assume, for wood, *μ* = 0.25, and say the wheel [diameter](/source/Diameter) is 1000 mm and axle diameter is 50 mm. So while the object still moves 10 m, the sliding surfaces only slide over each other by 0.5 m. The work done is 981 × 0.25 × 0.5 = 123 joules; this is 1/40 of the work done in dragging.

Additional energy is lost from the wheel-to-road interface. This is termed [rolling resistance](/source/Rolling_resistance), which is predominantly a loss due to deformation. It depends on the nature of the ground, the wheel material, the tire inflation level, the net torque exerted by the engine, and many other factors.

A wheel can also offer advantages when traversing irregular surfaces if its radius is sufficiently large relative to the irregularities.

The wheel alone is not a machine, but when attached to an [axle](/source/Axle) in conjunction with bearing, it forms the [wheel and axle](/source/Wheel_and_axle), one of the [simple machines](/source/Simple_machine). A driven wheel is an example of a wheel-and-axle. Wheels predate driven wheels by about 6000 years, themselves an evolution of the use of round logs as rollers to move heavy loads—a practice that goes back so far in prehistory that it has not been dated.

## Construction

This section is about the structure of a wheel. For the making of wire-spoked wheels, see [Wheelbuilding](/source/Wheelbuilding). For the making of non-wire spoked wheels, see [Wheel construction](/source/Wheel_construction).

### Rim

Main article: [Rim (wheel)](/source/Rim_(wheel))

[Rim](/source/Rim_(wheel)) of an [alloy wheel](/source/Alloy_wheel)

The **rim** is the "outer edge of a wheel, holding the tire".[40] It makes up the outer circular design of the wheel on which the inside edge of the [tire](/source/Tire) is mounted on vehicles such as [automobiles](/source/Automobile). For example, on a [bicycle wheel](/source/Bicycle_wheel), the [rim](/source/Rim_(wheel)) is a large hoop attached to the outer ends of the spokes of the wheel that holds the tire and tube.

In the 1st millennium BCE an [iron](/source/Iron) rim was introduced around the wooden wheels of [chariots](/source/Chariot).

### Hub

The hub is the center of the wheel, and typically houses a [bearing](/source/Bearing_(mechanical)), and is where the spokes meet.

A [hubless wheel](/source/Hubless_wheel) (also known as a rim-rider or centerless wheel) is a type of wheel with no center [hub](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hub). More specifically, the hub is actually almost as big as the wheel itself. The [axle](/source/Axle) is hollow, following the wheel at very close [tolerances](/source/Engineering_tolerance).

### Spokes

Main article: [spoke](/source/Spoke)

A spoked wheel on display at The [National Museum of Iran](/source/National_Museum_of_Iran), in [Tehran](/source/Tehran). The wheel is dated to the late 2nd millennium BCE and was excavated at [Choqa Zanbil](/source/Choqa_Zanbil).

A *spoke* is one of several rods radiating from the center of a wheel (the [hub](/source/Bicycle_hub) where the [axle](/source/Axle) connects), connecting the hub with the round traction surface. The term originally referred to portions of a log that had been split lengthwise into four or six sections. The radial members of a wagon wheel were made by carving a spoke (from a log) into their finished shape. A [spokeshave](/source/Spokeshave) is a [tool](/source/Tool) originally developed for this purpose. Eventually, the term spoke was more commonly applied to the finished product of the [wheelwright](/source/Wheelwright)'s work than to the materials used.

#### Wire

Main article: [wire wheel](/source/Wire_wheel)

The [rims](/source/Rim_(wheel)) of *wire wheels* (or "wire spoked wheels") are connected to their hubs by wire [spokes](/source/Spoke). Although these [wires](/source/Wire) are generally stiffer than a typical [wire rope](/source/Wire_rope), they function mechanically the same as [tensioned](/source/Tension_(physics)) flexible wires, keeping the rim true while supporting applied loads.

Wire wheels are used on most [bicycles](/source/Bicycle) and still used on many [motorcycles](/source/Motorcycles). They were invented by aeronautical engineer [George Cayley](/source/George_Cayley) and first used in bicycles by [James Starley](/source/James_Starley). A process of assembling wire wheels is described as [wheelbuilding](/source/Wheelbuilding).

### Tire/Tyre

Main articles: [tire](/source/Tire), [motorcycle tire](/source/Motorcycle_tire), and [bicycle tire](/source/Bicycle_tire)

A wheel with car tire made by [BMW](/source/BMW) company

A **tire** (in [American English](/source/American_English) and [Canadian English](/source/Canadian_English)) or **tyre** (in some [Commonwealth Nations](/source/English_in_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations) such as UK, [India](/source/India), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa), [Australia](/source/Australia) and [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand)) is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel [rim](/source/Rim_(wheel)) to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground. The word itself may be derived from "tie", which refers to the outer steel ring of a wooden cart wheel that ties the wood segments together (see [Etymology](#Terminology) above).

The fundamental materials of modern tires are [synthetic rubber](/source/Synthetic_rubber), [natural rubber](/source/Natural_rubber), fabric, and wire, along with other compound chemicals. They consist of a tread and a body. The tread provides [traction](/source/Traction_(engineering)) while the body ensures support. Before rubber was invented, the earliest versions of tires were simply metal bands that fitted around wooden wheels to prevent wear and tear. Today, the vast majority of tires are [pneumatic](/source/Pneumatic) [inflatable structures](/source/Inflatable_structure), comprising a doughnut-shaped body of cords and wires encased in rubber and generally filled with compressed air to form an inflatable cushion. Pneumatic tires are used on many types of vehicles, such as [cars](/source/Car), [bicycles](/source/Bicycle), [motorcycles](/source/Motorcycles), [trucks](/source/Truck), [earthmovers](/source/Heavy_equipment_(construction)), and [aircraft](/source/Aircraft).

### Protruding or covering attachments

Extreme [off-road](/source/Off-roading) conditions have led to the development of several types of wheel covers, which may be constructed as removable attachments or permanent covers. Wheels like this are no longer necessarily round or have panels that make the ground-contact area flat.

Examples include:

- [Snow chains](/source/Snow_chains) – Specially designed chain assemblies that wrap around the tire to provide increased grip, designed for deep snow.[41]

- [Dreadnaught wheel](/source/Dreadnaught_wheel) – A type of permanently attached hinged panels for general extreme off-road use. These are not connected directly to the wheels, but to each other.

- [Pedrail wheel](/source/Pedrail_wheel) – A system of rails that holds panels that hold the vehicle. These do not necessarily have to be built as a circle (wheel) and are thus also a form of [Continuous track](/source/Continuous_track).

- A version of the above examples (name unknown to the writer) was commonly used on heavy [artillery](/source/Artillery) during [World War I](/source/World_War_I). Specific examples: [Cannone da 149/35 A](/source/Cannone_da_149%2F35_A) and the [Big Bertha](/source/Big_Bertha_(howitzer)). Multiple hinges connected these panels, which could be installed over a contemporary wheel.

- [Continuous track](/source/Continuous_track) – A system of linked and hinged chains/panels that cover multiple wheels in a way that allows the vehicle's mass to be distributed across the space between wheels that are positioned in front of/behind other wheels.

- "Tire totes" – A bag designed to cover a tire to improve traction in deep snow.[42][43]

Truck and bus wheels may lock up (stop rotating) under certain circumstances, such as a brake system failure. To help detect this, they sometimes feature "wheel rotation indicators": colored plastic strips attached to the rim and protruding from it so that the driver can see them in the [side-view mirrors](/source/Side-view_mirror). These devices were invented and patented in 1998 by a Canadian truck shop owner.[44]

## Alternatives

While wheels are very widely used for ground transport, there are alternatives, some of which are suitable for terrain where wheels are ineffective. Alternative methods for ground transport without wheels include:

- [Maglev](/source/Maglev)

- [Sled](/source/Sled), [ski](/source/Ski) or [travois](/source/Travois)

- [Hovercraft](/source/Hovercraft) and [ekranoplans](/source/Ekranoplan)

- [Walking](/source/Walking) [pedestrian](/source/Pedestrian), [Litter (vehicle)](/source/Litter_(vehicle)) or a [walking machine](/source/Walker_(machine))

- [Horse riding](/source/Horse_riding)

- [Caterpillar tracks](/source/Continuous_track) (operated by wheels)

- [Pedrail](/source/Pedrail) wheels, using aspects of both wheel and caterpillar track

- [Spheres](/source/Sphere), as used by [Dyson](/source/Dyson_(company)) vacuum cleaners and [hamster balls](/source/Hamster_ball)

- [Screw-propelled vehicle](/source/Screw-propelled_vehicle)

## Symbolism

The [wheel of time](/source/Wheel_of_time) in [Jainism](/source/Jainism).

The wheel has also become a strong cultural and spiritual metaphor for cycles and regular repetition (see [chakra](/source/Chakra), [reincarnation](/source/Reincarnation), [Yin and Yang](/source/Yin_and_yang), among others). As such and because of the difficult terrain, wheeled vehicles were forbidden in [old Tibet](/source/History_of_Tibet). The wheel in ancient [China](/source/China) is seen as a symbol of health and strength and used by some villages as a tool to predict future health and success. The [diameter](/source/Diameter) of the wheel is an indicator of one's future health. The [Kalachakra](/source/Kalachakra) or wheel of time is also a subject in some forms of [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism), along with the [dharmachakra](/source/Dharmachakra).[45][46]

The [winged wheel](/source/Winged_wheel) is a symbol of progress, seen in many contexts including the [coat of arms of Panama](/source/Coat_of_arms_of_Panama), the logo of the [Ohio State Highway Patrol](/source/Ohio_State_Highway_Patrol), and the [State Railway of Thailand](/source/State_Railway_of_Thailand). The wheel is also the prominent figure on the [flag of India](/source/Flag_of_India). The wheel in this case represents law ([dharma](/source/Dharma)). It also appears in the [flag of the Romani people](/source/Flag_of_the_Romani_people), hinting at their nomadic history and their Indian origins.

The sixth-century monk [Dorotheus of Gaza](/source/Dorotheus_of_Gaza) used the image of a spiked wheel to explain how the interdependent ethic of compassion worked: those who get closer to God get closer to other people, and vice versa.[47][48] In medieval Europe, the [Wheel of Fortune](/source/Wheel_of_Fortune_(medieval)) aimed to show the transitory, ephemeral, and almost illusionary character of power, in which a person that has risen to the top may go down again by the turn of the wheel.[49]

The introduction of spoked ([chariot](/source/Chariot)) wheels in the Middle Bronze Age appears to have carried somewhat of a prestige. The [sun cross](/source/Sun_cross) appears to have a significance in [Bronze Age religion](/source/Bronze_Age_religion_(disambiguation)), replacing the earlier concept of a [solar barge](/source/Solar_barge) with the more 'modern' and technologically advanced [solar chariot](/source/Solar_chariot). The wheel was also a solar symbol for the [Ancient Egyptians](/source/Ancient_Egypt).[50]

In modern usage, the 'invention of the wheel' can be considered as a symbol of one of the first technologies of early civilization, alongside farming and metalwork, and thus be used as a benchmark to grade the level of societal progress.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Some [Neopagans](/source/Modern_Paganism) such as [Wiccans](/source/Wicca) have adopted the [Wheel of the Year](/source/Wheel_of_the_Year) into their religious practices.[51]

Ezekiel's "chariot vision" of [Ezekiel 1](/source/Ezekiel_1), by [Matthaeus Merian](/source/Matthaeus_Merian) (1593-1650).

## See also

- **Types**: [Alloy wheel](/source/Alloy_wheel), [Artillery wheel](/source/Artillery_wheel), [Ball transfer unit](/source/Ball_transfer_unit), [Bicycle wheel](/source/Bicycle_wheel), [Caster](/source/Caster), [Cogwheel](/source/Gear), [Dreadnaught wheel](/source/Dreadnaught_wheel), [Driving wheel](/source/Driving_wheel), [Flywheel](/source/Flywheel), [Hubless wheel](/source/Hubless_wheel), [Inline skate wheel](/source/Inline_skates#Wheels), [Mansell wheel](/source/Mansell_wheel), [Mecanum wheel](/source/Mecanum_wheel), [Motorcycle wheel](/source/Motorcycle_wheel), [Omni wheel](/source/Omni_wheel), [Pedrail wheel](/source/Pedrail_wheel), [Pressed Steel wheel](/source/Disteel), [Skateboard wheel](/source/Skateboard#Wheels), [Square wheel](/source/Square_wheel), [Stairclimber wheel](/source/Stairclimber#Stairclimber_wheels), [Steering wheel](/source/Steering_wheel) ([Ship's wheel](/source/Ship's_wheel)), [Train wheel](/source/Train_wheel), [Tweel](/source/Tweel), [Wagon wheel](/source/Wagon_wheel_(transportation)), [Wire wheel](/source/Wire_wheel)

- **Components**: [Axle](/source/Axle), [Bogie](/source/Bogie)/[Truck](/source/Skateboard_truck), [Differential](/source/Differential_(mechanical_device)), [Drive shaft](/source/Drive_shaft), [Drivetrain](/source/Drivetrain), [Rim](/source/Rim_(wheel)), [Snow chains](/source/Snow_chains), [Spoke](/source/Spoke), [Tire](/source/Tire), [Wheelset](/source/Wheelset_(rail_transport))

- **Related technologies and concepts**: [Archimedes screw](/source/Archimedes_screw), [Barrel](/source/Barrel), [Breaking wheel](/source/Breaking_wheel), [Color wheel](/source/Color_wheel), [Compact disc](/source/Compact_disc), [Ferris wheel](/source/Ferris_wheel), [Pottery wheel](/source/Pottery_wheel), [Propeller](/source/Propeller), [Reinventing the wheel](/source/Reinventing_the_wheel), [Spindle whorl](/source/Spindle_whorl), [Trackball](/source/Trackball), [Wagon-wheel effect](/source/Wagon-wheel_effect), [Water wheel](/source/Water_wheel), [Wheelbarrow](/source/Wheelbarrow), [Wheelie](/source/Wheelie), [Wheel of Fortune](/source/Wheel_of_Fortune_(disambiguation)), [Wheelwright](/source/Wheelwright), [Windlass](/source/Windlass), [Windmill](/source/Windmill)

- **Alternatives**: [Air cushion](/source/Hovercraft), [Continuous track](/source/Continuous_track), [Counter-rotating screws](/source/Screw-propelled_vehicle), [Leg mechanism](/source/Leg_mechanism), [Magnetic levitation](/source/Magnetic_levitation), [Wing-in-ground-effect](/source/Wing-in-ground-effect)

- **History**: [History of the wheel in Africa](/source/History_of_the_wheel_in_Africa), *[The Horse, The Wheel and Language](/source/The_Horse%2C_The_Wheel_and_Language)*, [Rotating locomotion in living systems](/source/Rotating_locomotion_in_living_systems), [Terrestrial locomotion in animals: Rolling](/source/Terrestrial_locomotion_in_animals#Rolling), [Robot locomotion](/source/Robot_locomotion)

- **Theory**: [Rolling resistance](/source/Rolling_resistance), [Rotational energy](/source/Rotational_energy), [Torque](/source/Torque), [Wheel and axle (simple machine)](/source/Wheel_and_axle), [Wheel sizing](/source/Wheel_sizing)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["wheel"](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=wheel). *Online Etymology Dictionary*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170703044245/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=wheel) from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2007.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["American Heritage Dictionary Entry: wheel"](http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=wheel&submit.x=42&submit.y=19). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20130720080559/http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=wheel&submit.x=42&submit.y=19) from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** V. Gordon Childe (1928). [*New Light on the Most Ancient East*](https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.215014). p. [110](https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.215014/page/n129).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Roux, Valentine; de Miroschedji, Pierre (2009). ["Revisiting the History of the Potter's Wheel in the Southern Levant"](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1179/007589109X12484491671095). *Levant*. **41** (2): 155–173. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1179/007589109X12484491671095](https://doi.org/10.1179%2F007589109X12484491671095). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0075-8914](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0075-8914).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Moorey1994_5-0)** Moorey, Peter Roger Stuart (1999) [1994]. [*Ancient Mesopotamian Materials and Industries: The Archaeological Evidence*](https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Ixuott4doC). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. p. 146. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-57506-042-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-57506-042-2). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171017215042/https://books.google.com/books/about/Ancient_Mesopotamian_Materials_and_Indus.html?id=P_Ixuott4doC) from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_6-0)** [Haarmann, Harald](/source/Harald_Haarmann) (2020). [*Advancement in Ancient Civilizations: Life, Culture, Science and Thought*](https://books.google.com/books?id=FkL_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA40). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 40. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-4075-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-4075-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Chandler, Graham (August 2017). ["Why Reinvent the Wheel?"](https://www.aramcoworld.com/Articles/July-2017/Why-Reinvent-the-Wheel). *AramcoWorld*. **68** (4): 28–33. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1530-5821](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1530-5821).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:3_8-0)** [Standage, Tom](/source/Tom_Standage) (2021). [*A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next*](https://books.google.com/books?id=YoQWEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA5). New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 2–5. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-63557-361-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-63557-361-9). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1184237267](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1184237267).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Schier, Wolfram (2015). ["Chapter 5: Central and Eastern Europe"](https://books.google.com/books?id=2PAkBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA113). In Fowler, Chris; Harding, Jan; Hofmann, Daniela (eds.). *The Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe*. OUP Oxford. p. 113. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-954584-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-954584-1).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:2_10-0)** [Bulliet, Richard W.](/source/Richard_W._Bulliet) (2016). [*The Wheel: Inventions And Reinventions*](https://archive.org/details/the-wheel-inventions-and-reinventions-0231173385-9780231173384-9780231540612_compress/page/6). New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 6, 51–70. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-231-54061-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-54061-2).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Holm,_Hans_J._J_2019_11-0)** Holm, Hans J. J. G.: The Earliest Wheel Finds, their Archaeology and Indo-European Terminology in Time and Space, and Early Migrations around the Caucasus. Series Minor 43. ARCHAEOLINGUA ALAPÍTVÁNY, Budapest, 2019. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-615-5766-30-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-615-5766-30-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** John Marshall (1996). *Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization: Being an Official Account of Archaeological Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro Carried Out by the Government of India Between the Years 1922 and 1927, Volume 1*. Asian Education Services. p. 554. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9788120611795](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9788120611795).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Ancient wheel tracks in Northern Germany"](http://techzle.com/ancient-wheel-tracks-in-northern-germany). 15 April 2022. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221019175829/http://techzle.com/ancient-wheel-tracks-in-northern-germany) from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Wheel I Never: Europes Oldest Stone Age Cart Tracks Found"](https://www.zenger.news/2022/04/29/wheel-i-never-europes-oldest-stone-age-cart-tracks-found/). 29 April 2022. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221019182832/https://www.zenger.news/2022/04/29/wheel-i-never-europes-oldest-stone-age-cart-tracks-found/) from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Holm, Hans J. J. G. "The Earliest Wheel Finds, Their Archeology and Indo-European Terminology in Time and Space, and Early Migrations around the Caucasus". *Archaeolingua Alapítvány*, Budapest, 2019, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-963-9911-34-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-963-9911-34-5)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Attema, P. A. J.; Los-Weijns, Ma; Pers, N. D. Maring-Van der (December 2006). ["Bronocice, Flintbek, Uruk, Jebel Aruda and Arslantepe: The Earliest Evidence of Wheeled Vehicles in Europe and the Near East"](https://books.google.com/books?id=qqEqjtKJQ3YC&pg=PA11). *Palaeohistoria*. 47/48. [University of Groningen](/source/University_of_Groningen): 10–28 (11). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789077922187](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789077922187). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200822123805/https://books.google.com/books?id=qqEqjtKJQ3YC&pg=PA11) from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Anthony, David A. (2007). *The horse, the wheel, and language: how Bronze-Age riders from the Eurasian steppes shaped the modern world*. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 67. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-691-05887-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-691-05887-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Velušček, A.; Čufar, K. and Zupančič, M. (2009) "Prazgodovinsko leseno kolo z osjo s kolišča Stare gmajne na Ljubljanskem barju", pp. 197–222 in A. Velušček (ed.). *Koliščarska naselbina Stare gmajne in njen as. Ljubljansko barje v 2. polovici 4*. tisočletja pr. Kr. Opera Instituti Archaeologici Sloveniae 16. Ljubljana.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Fowler, Chris; Harding, Jan and Hofmann, Daniela (eds.) (2015). [*The Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe.*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2PAkBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA109) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161229070257/https://books.google.com/books?id=2PAkBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA109) 29 December 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) OUP Oxford. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-19-166688-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-166688-2). p. 109.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** Attema, P. A. J.; Los-Weijns, Ma; Maring-Van der Pers, N. D. (December 2006). ["Bronocice, Flintbek, Uruk, Jebel Aruda and Arslantepe: The Earliest Evidence of Wheeled Vehicles in Europe and the Near East"](https://books.google.com/books?id=qqEqjtKJQ3YC&pg=PA19). *Palaeohistoria*. 47/48. [University of Groningen](/source/University_of_Groningen): 10-28 (19-20). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9789077922187](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9789077922187). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200822123802/https://books.google.com/books?id=qqEqjtKJQ3YC&pg=PA19) from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Central China discovers earliest wheel ruts"](http://kaogu.cssn.cn/ywb/news/new_discoveries_1/202001/t20200119_5081197.shtml). Xinhua. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200822123815/http://kaogu.cssn.cn/ywb/news/new_discoveries_1/202001/t20200119_5081197.shtml) from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Barbieri-Low, Anthony (February 2000) "Wheeled Vehicles in the Chinese Bronze Age (c. 2000–741 B.C.E)", pp. 11-12. *Sino-Platonic Papers*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Ramsden, Shaun (2021). ["Indo-Europeans in the Ancient Yellow River Valley"](https://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp311_indo_europeans_china_zhou_dynasty.pdf) (PDF). *Sino-Platonic Papers* (311): 21–23. [eISSN](/source/EISSN_(identifier)) [2157-9687](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2157-9687). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2157-9679](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2157-9679).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Rawson, Jessica (2017). ["China and the steppe: reception and resistance"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/china-and-the-steppe-reception-and-resistance/C8CFF543119597721F43956F2EDB4A28). *Antiquity*. **91** (356): 375–388. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.15184/aqy.2016.276](https://doi.org/10.15184%2Faqy.2016.276). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0003-598X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0003-598X).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Linduff, Katheryn M.; Sun, Yan; Cao, Wei; Liu, Yuanqing (2017). [*Ancient China and its Eurasian Neighbors: Artifacts, Identity and Death in the Frontier, 3000–700 BCE*](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/ancient-china-and-its-eurasian-neighbors/B968699731758994BA2704D1864DF5EF). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 54. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/9781108290555](https://doi.org/10.1017%2F9781108290555). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-108-41861-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-108-41861-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBCMF2016_26-0)** ["Bronze Age wheel at 'British Pompeii' Must Farm an 'unprecedented find'"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-35598578). BBC. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181109203927/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-35598578) from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2016.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** Ekholm, Gordon F. (April 1946). "Wheeled Toys in Mexico". *American Antiquity*. **11** (4): 222–28. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/275722](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F275722). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [275722](https://www.jstor.org/stable/275722). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [163472346](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:163472346).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** Diamond, Jared (1999). [*Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies*](https://archive.org/details/gunsgermssteelfa00diam). New York: Norton. p. [237](https://archive.org/details/gunsgermssteelfa00diam/page/237). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-393-31755-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-393-31755-8). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200326153817/https://archive.org/details/gunsgermssteelfa00diam) from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** Singer, Ben (May 2005). [*A brief history of the horse in America*](https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083344/http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/Magazine/ma05/indepth/). Canadian Geographic Magazine. Archived from [the original](http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/Magazine/ma05/indepth/#cnd) on 19 August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** Ryder, Thomas (1986). [*The Carriage Journal: Vol 23 No 4 Spring 1986*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Xyg-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA209). Carriage Assoc. of America. p. 209. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230322054603/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xyg-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA209) from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-encyclopedia.com_31-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-encyclopedia.com_31-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-encyclopedia.com_31-2) Chasin Calvo, Sherri. ["The Technology of the Incas and Aztecs"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/technology-incas-and-aztecs). [Encyclopedia.com](/source/Encyclopedia.com). Retrieved 21 August 2021. There were no wheeled carts, or even wheelbarrows. Although wheeled toys and decorations have been found at Mesoamerican sites, the wheel was never put to practical use.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-smith_32-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-smith_32-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-smith_32-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-smith_32-3) Smith, Herman. ["Real smart folks, but no wheel"](https://ambergriscaye.com/museum/digit4.html). Dig It. Retrieved 21 August 2021.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** koorihistory.com (1 December 2019). [""Aboriginal people never even invented the wheel.""](https://koorihistory.com/wheel/). *Koori History - Aboriginal History of South Eastern Australia*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220819074912/https://koorihistory.com/wheel/) from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** ["Crafts – Uncovering Treasures of Ancient Nubia"](https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E5D71E3BF934A15751C0A962958260). *NYTimes.com*. 27 February 1994. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200822123811/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/27/nyregion/crafts-uncovering-treasures-of-ancient-nubia.html) from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-35)** ["What the Nubians Ate"](https://discovermagazine.com/1994/jun/whatthenubiansat393). *Discover Magazine*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090301170920/http://discovermagazine.com/1994/jun/whatthenubiansat393) from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** Fage, J. D.; Oliver, Roland Anthony (1975). [*The Cambridge History of Africa*](https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory05fage). Cambridge University Press. p. [278](https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory05fage/page/278). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-21592-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-21592-3). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200610192051/https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory05fage) from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Law_wheel_Africa_37-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Law_wheel_Africa_37-1) Law, Robin C. (1980). "Wheeled Transportation in Pre-Colonial West Africa". *Africa*. **50** (3): 249–62. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/1159117](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1159117). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [1159117](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1159117). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [148903113](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:148903113).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** Chaves, Isaías; [Engerman, Stanley L.](/source/Stanley_Engerman); Robinson, James A. (2012). [*Reinventing the Wheel: The Economic Benefits of Wheeled Transportation in Early Colonial British West Africa*](https://web.archive.org/web/20140106032919/http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jrobinson/files/the_wheel_in_africa_february_2012.pdf) (PDF). [Weatherhead Center for International Affairs](/source/Weatherhead_Center_for_International_Affairs). p. 1. Archived from [the original](http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jrobinson/files/the_wheel_in_africa_february_2012.pdf) (PDF) on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2014. One of the great technological puzzles of Sub-Saharan African economic history is that wheeled transportation was barely used before the colonial period. Instead, head porterage was the main method of transportation.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-39)** [bookrags.com](http://www.bookrags.com/research/wheel-and-axle-woi/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080527182437/http://www.bookrags.com/research/wheel-and-axle-woi/) 27 May 2008 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) – Wheel and axle

1. **[^](#cite_ref-40)** Jewel, Elizabeth (2006). [*The Pocket Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus*](https://books.google.com/books?id=fUE0bazkcxAC&pg=PA722). Oxford University Press. p. 722. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-530715-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-530715-3). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160504123938/https://books.google.com/books?id=fUE0bazkcxAC&pg=PA722) from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-41)** ["Examples of snow chains"](https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=?p=snow+chains). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221212164743/https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=?p=snow+chains) from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** ["Examples of "tire totes""](https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Tote). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220517200408/https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Tote) from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-43)** ["Another example of "tire totes""](https://shop.tesla.com/product/tire-tote). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201103071434/https://shop.tesla.com/product/tire-tote) from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-44)** ["Here Is What Those Strips Hanging Off Of Truck Wheels Are For"](https://jalopnik.com/here-is-what-those-strips-hanging-off-of-truck-wheels-a-1848314282). *Jalopnik*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220107161233/https://jalopnik.com/here-is-what-those-strips-hanging-off-of-truck-wheels-a-1848314282) from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** John Newman (1991). "Blurb/description". In Geshe Lhundub Sopa (ed.). [*The Wheel of Time: Kalachakra in Context*](https://books.google.com/books?id=iGDCQNn0C9oC). [Shambhala](/source/Shambhala_Publications). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-55939-779-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-55939-779-7). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230322054604/https://books.google.com/books?id=iGDCQNn0C9oC) from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:1_46-0)** John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, *The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art,* p. 524.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** Wainwright, Geoffrey; McPartlan, Paul (2021). [*The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_EErEAAAQBAJ). Oxford University Press. p. 660. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-960084-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-960084-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-48)** Patterson, Bobbi (2020). *Building resilience through contemplative practice: a field manual for helping professionals and volunteers*. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. p. 14. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-367-13376-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-367-13376-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-49)** Grafton, Anthony; Most, Glenn W.; Settis, Salvatore (25 October 2010). [*The Classical Tradition*](https://books.google.com/books?id=LbqF8z2bq3sC). Harvard University Press. p. 366. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-674-03572-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-03572-0). Retrieved 1 June 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-50)** Hall, Adelaide S. (2005). [*A Glossary of Important Symbols in Their Hebrew: Pagan and Christian Forms*](https://books.google.com/books?id=OxcOmjiAWXAC). Cosimo. p. 56. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-59605-593-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-59605-593-3). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160508012358/https://books.google.com/books?id=OxcOmjiAWXAC&printsec=frontcover) from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-51)** Williams, Liz (29 July 2013). ["Paganism, part 3: the Wheel of the Year"](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/29/paganism-part-3-wheel-year-dates). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211026082614/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/29/paganism-part-3-wheel-year-dates) from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.

## External links

- University of Kiel. "[3400 BC: The oldest evidence for the use of the wheel and wagon originates from Northern Germany](https://www.uni-kiel.de/en/details/news/051-wheel-tracks#)". Online: April 11, 2022. Retrieved: April 14, 2022.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ***[Wheels](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wheels)*** and ***[Automobile wheels](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Automobile_wheels)***.

Look up ***[wheel](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wheel)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

v t e Powertrain Part of the Automobile series Automotive engine Diesel engine Electric Fuel cell Hybrid (Plug-in hybrid) Internal combustion engine Petrol engine Steam engine Transmission Automatic transmission Chain drive Direct-drive Clutch Constant-velocity joint Continuously variable transmission Coupling Differential Direct-shift gearbox Drive shaft Dual-clutch transmission Drive wheel Automated manual transmission Electrorheological clutch Epicyclic gearing Fluid coupling Friction drive Gearshift Giubo Hotchkiss drive Limited-slip differential Locking differential Manual transmission Manumatic Parking pawl Park-by-wire Preselector gearbox Semi-automatic transmission Shift-by-wire Torque converter Transaxle Transfer box Transmission control unit Universal joint Wheels and tires Wheel hub assembly Wheel Rim Alloy wheel Hubcap Tire Off-road Racing slick Radial Rain Run-flat Snow Spare Tubeless Hybrid Electric motor Hybrid vehicle drivetrain Electric generator Alternator Portal Category

v t e Chassis control system Part of the Automobile series Suspension Anti-roll bar (sway bar) Axle Axle track Beam axle Camber angle Car handling Coil spring De Dion tube Double wishbone Hydrolastic (Hydragas) Hydropneumatic Independent suspension Leaf spring Live axle MacPherson strut Multi-link suspension Panhard rod Shock absorber Swing axle Toe angle Torsion bar Trailing arm Unsprung mass Watt's linkage Wheel alignment Wheelbase Steering Ackermann steering geometry Caster angle Kingpin Oversteer Power steering Rack and pinion Torque steering Understeer Brakes Automatic braking Anti-lock braking system Active rollover protection Brake bleeding Brake fade Brake fluid Brake lining Combined braking system Disc brake Drum brake Electric park brake Electronic brakeforce distribution Electronic stability control Engine braking Hydraulic brake Hydraulic fluid Inboard brake Parking brake Regenerative brake Vacuum servo Roadwheels Tires (Tyres) Alloy wheel Custom wheel Drive wheel Hubcap Outline of tires Rostyle wheel Spinner Whitewall tire Wire wheels Portal Category

v t e Prehistoric technology Prehistory Timeline Outline Stone Age Subdivisions New Stone Age Technology history Glossary Tools Farming Neolithic Revolution Founder crops New World crops Ard / plough Celt Digging stick Domestication Goad Irrigation Secondary products Sickle Terracing Food processing (Paleolithic diet) Fire Basket Cooking Earth oven Granaries Grinding slab Ground stone Hearth Aşıklı Höyük Qesem Cave Manos Metate Mortar and pestle Pottery Quern-stone Storage pits Hunting Arrow Boomerang throwing stick Bow and arrow history Nets Spear spear-thrower baton harpoon Schöningen woomera Projectile points Arrowhead Transverse Bare Island Cascade Clovis Cresswell Cumberland Eden Folsom Lamoka Manis Mastodon Plano Systems Game drive system Buffalo jump Toolmaking Earliest toolmaking Oldowan Acheulean Mousterian Aurignacian Clovis culture Cupstone Fire hardening Gravettian culture Hafting Hand axe Grooves Langdale axe industry Levallois technique Lithic core Lithic reduction analysis debitage flake Lithic technology Magdalenian culture Metallurgy Microblade technology Mining Prepared-core technique Solutrean industry Striking platform Tool stone Uniface Yubetsu technique Other tools Adze Awl bone Axe Bannerstone Blade prismatic Bone tool Bow drill Burin Canoe Oar Pesse canoe Chopper tool Cleaver Denticulate tool Fire plough Fire-saw Hammerstone Knife Microlith Quern-stone Racloir Rope Scraper side Stone tool Tally stick Weapons Wheel illustration Architecture Ceremonial Kiva Pyramid Standing stones megalith row Stonehenge Dwellings Neolithic architecture long house British megalith architecture Nordic megalith architecture Burdei Cave Cliff dwelling Dugout Hut Quiggly hole Jacal Longhouse Mudbrick Mehrgarh Pit-house Pueblitos Pueblo Rock shelter Blombos Cave Abri de la Madeleine Sibudu Cave Roundhouse Stilt house Alp pile dwellings Stone roof Wattle and daub Water management Check dam Cistern Flush toilet Reservoir Well Other architecture Archaeological features Broch Burnt mound fulacht fiadh Causewayed enclosure Tor enclosure Circular enclosure Goseck Cursus Henge Thornborough Megalithic architectural elements Midden Oldest extant buildings Timber circle Timber trackway Sweet Track Arts and culture Material goods Baskets Beadwork Beds Chalcolithic Clothing/textiles timeline Cosmetics Glue Hides shoes Ötzi Jewelry amber use Mirrors Pottery Cardium Cord-marked Grooved ware Jōmon Linear Unstan ware Sewing needle Weaving Wine winery wine press Prehistoric art Art of the Upper Paleolithic Art of the Middle Paleolithic Blombos Cave List of Stone Age art Bird stone Cairn Carved stone balls Cave paintings Cup and ring mark Geoglyph Hill figure Golden hats Guardian stones Gwion Gwion rock paintings painting pigment Megalithic art Petroform Petroglyph Petrosomatoglyph Pictogram Rock art Rock cupule Stone carving Sculpture Statue menhir Stone circle list British Isles and Brittany Venus figurine Prehistoric music Evolutionary musicology music archaeology Alligator drum Paleolithic flute Divje Babe flute Gudi Prehistoric religion Evolutionary origin of religion Paleolithic religion Spiritual drug use Burial Burial mounds Bowl barrow Round barrow Mound Builders culture U.S. sites Chamber tomb Cotswold-Severn Cist Dartmoor kistvaens Clava cairn Court cairn Cremation Dolmen Great dolmen Funeral pyre Gallery grave transepted wedge-shaped Grave goods Jar burial Kuyavian long barrows Long barrow unchambered Grønsalen Megalithic tomb Mummy Passage grave Rectangular dolmen Ring cairn Simple dolmen Stone box grave Tor cairn Unchambered long cairn Other cultural Archaeoastronomy sites lunar calendar Behavioral modernity Origin of language Prehistoric counting Prehistoric medicine trepanning Prehistoric warfare Symbols symbolism

v t e Locomotive design Cab positioning Short hood / Long hood Cab forward Sharknose Steeplecab Cab unit Hood unit Cowl unit Boxcab Comfort cab Dual Control Stand Wheel arrangement AAR wheel arrangement UIC classification Swiss classification Whyte notation Valve gear types Allan Baker Bagnall–Price Baguley Bulleid Caprotti Gab Gooch Gresley Hackworth Joy Kuhn slide Lentz Southern Stephenson Walschaerts Bogie types AAR type A switcher truck Arnoux system Articulated bogie Bissel truck Blomberg B Cleminson system Grovers bogie Jacobs bogie Krauss-Helmholtz bogie Mason Bogie Pony truck Radial steering truck Scheffel bogie Schwartzkopff-Eckhardt II bogie Other running gear elements Adams axle Axlebox Beugniot lever Carrying wheel Coupled wheel Driving wheel Equalising beam Gölsdorf axle Journal box Klien-Lindner axle Leading wheel Luttermöller axle Radial axle Railway tire Road–rail vehicle Trailing wheel Train wheel Wheelset Exhaust system types Giesl Kylchap Kylpor Lemaître Lempor Lemprex Common exhaust system elements Blastpipe Smokebox Chimney

Authority control databases International GND National Japan Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Wheel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.