In this book, Richard W. Bulliet focuses on three major phases in the
evolution of the wheel and their relationship to the needs and ambitions
of human society. He begins in 4000 B.C.E. with the first wheels affixed
to axles. He then follows with the innovation of wheels turning
independently on their axles and concludes five thousand years later
with the caster, a single rotating and pivoting wheel.
Bulliet's most interesting finding is that a simple desire to move
things from place to place did not drive the wheel's development. If
that were the case, the wheel could have been invented at any time
almost anywhere in the world. By dividing the history of this technology
into three conceptual phases and focusing on the specific men, women,
and societies that brought it about, Bulliet expands the social,
economic, and political significance of a tool we only partially
understand. He underscores the role of gender, combat, and competition
in the design and manufacture of wheels, adding vivid imagery to
illustrate each stage of their development.