Sensational: The wheel may have been invented in what is now Hungary!
The wheel is one of humanity’s most important technological inventions. It has become such a fundamental part of everyday life that its origins are nearly forgotten. While it was long believed to have been created in Mesopotamia or ancient Egypt, a growing new theory suggests that the wheel was invented nearly 6,000 years ago by copper ore miners in what is now Hungary, near the Carpathian Mountains, as an innovation aimed at easing the transport of heavy materials.
Did a technological revolution begin deep underground?
Picture this: around 3900 BCE, deep within a hot and airless mine in the Carpathian Basin, early humans labour tirelessly hauling loads of copper ore. Life is a monotonous grind—until one afternoon, a miner returns with a peculiar new device: a primitive but efficient cart capable of transporting three times more raw material than a man could carry. According to Blikk, this moment didn’t just transform mining—it may have changed the course of human history.
As reported by The Conversation, this hypothetical scene is not pure fantasy. A theory first proposed in 2015 suggests that Carpathian miners progressively modified wooden rollers—a common material transport technique at the time—into a device offering mechanical advantage, eventually giving rise to what we now recognise as the wheel.
How was the wheel invented? Engineers ran computer simulations to reinvent the wheel, revealing how nearly 6,000 years ago, the wheel may have evolved from wooden rollers, driven by the principle of mechanical advantage. An engineering professor explains: https://t.co/BAQxeeg6Xh pic.twitter.com/4TMGZhlG3F
— The Conversation U.S. (@ConversationUS) June 12, 2025
Archaeological finds and simulations back the theory
This Hungarian theory is grounded not only in historical logic but also in tangible evidence. Archaeologists have uncovered more than 150 small clay models of four-wheeled carts in the region. The exterior design of these models resembles woven baskets, similar to the containers miners used for transport. According to radiocarbon dating, these may represent the earliest known depictions of wheeled vehicles.
The analysis from The Conversation highlights that the wheel did not emerge overnight. Computer simulations suggest that heavy wooden rollers were first modified to fit partially into the underside of carts, allowing them to roll together, eliminating the need to reposition the rollers manually. This innovation marked the first major breakthrough. Over time, as the rollers’ shape evolved—narrower at the axle due to friction—they began to resemble the modern-day wheel.
Could the wheel really have been invented in today’s Hungary?
While science has yet to definitively determine who invented the wheel or where it was first developed, this theory is particularly intriguing for Hungarian readers. Is it possible that a technology that now powers the world—from cars to trains to aeroplane landing gears—was actually born in what is modern-day Hungary?
If so, then one of the most transformative innovations in human history began right in the Carpathian Basin—engineered by miners who, through refining basic tools, forged a legacy still rolling forward after more than five millennia.
Though the theory remains debated, the artefacts, environmental conditions, and computer models all suggest it’s quite plausible that the wheel’s cradle was not in Mesopotamia, but today’s Hungary.
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