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Wheels are hugely beneficial for human-powered transportation too though, well, such as the luggage example up-thread. It's thought the moyai on Easter Island
by OJFord 2y ago
Wheels are hugely beneficial for human-powered transportation too though, well, such as the luggage example up-thread.
It's thought the moyai on Easter Island were moved into place rolled on logs, they didn't have oxen or horses either, but rolling on logs or if they'd built a wheeled trailer make it much easier for a group of humans to move them without damage than just be dragging or rocking.
- dmbche 2y agoTo be clear south american civilisations had the wheel and used it for throwing pottery, for drills and many other uses different than transportation - it is also suspected that they used the same log method to move large objects. Just not a wheel-axle-bearing "vehicle"
- kragen 2y agoI don't think any American civilizations had the potter's wheel.
- rtkwe 2y agoCoiling was actually the main method and there's not any evidence they used potters wheels until after European contact and even then it didn't take off. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramics_of_Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramics_of_Indigenous_peoples...
- AngryData 2y agoOn cleared and mostly flat ground yes. But if you are going up any sorts of inclines human power doesn't really cut it over any real distances without adding mechanical assistance that slows everything way down. And on rough terrain its a wash even before you consider the difficulties in making wooden wheels that can survive off-road abuse for any length of time.
- rtkwe 2y agoOver hilly terrain in jungle-y environments I bet that goes down a fair amount though, you have to make the simultaneous leap of wheeled carts plus road paving or maintenance to make the carts not a slog probably.