Land Transport in the Bronze Age
Marion Uckelmann · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2013
Abstract This article examines land transport and transport connections (roads and paths) in the Bronze Age. It shows that the spoked wheel was one of the most relevant innovations during this period, since it caused a considerable reduction in weight. The article then studies the possible speeds of transport and loads for humans and animals, and discusses in detail the development and functions of the wheel (wooden-disc, wooden-spoked, and metal-spoked wheels) and wagons (two- and four-wheeled wagons). It concludes that the wagon and the wheel had a multi-layered importance during the Bronze Age, as shown by the different finds and contexts which go well beyond transport purposes.