A recent study suggests that ancient humans in North America may have used handcart-like transport systems as early as 22,000 years ago-long before the invention of the wheel.
Researchers identified drag marks alongside some of the oldest known human footprints in the Americas at White Sands, New Mexico, offering new insights into early transportation methods.
The findings, published Monday on The Conversation by Matthew Robert Bennett and Sally Christine Reynolds of Bournemouth University, indicate that the marks were likely created by a travois-a simple sled-like device made of wooden poles dragged across the ground.
"A pole or poles used in this fashion is called a travois," the authors wrote. "These drag marks extend for dozens of meters before disappearing beneath overlying sediment."
The study adds to mounting evidence that early humans arrived in North America much earlier than previously believed.
"In the last few years, several footprint discoveries at this site have begun to rewrite early American history — pushing back the arrival of the first people to enter this land by 8,000 years," the researchers noted.
To verify their findings, the research team conducted experiments in the UK and the US, recreating the marks observed at White Sands. By dragging wooden poles across wet mud, they successfully replicated the patterns found in the fossilized traces.
"In our experiments, the pole ends dragged along the mud truncate footprints in the same way as the fossil example in New Mexico," the authors explained.
The footprints found alongside the drag marks suggest that adults pulled the travois while children walked nearby.
"We believe the footprints and drag marks tell a story of the movement of resources at the edge of this former wetland," the study stated.
Indigenous partners involved in the research also supported this interpretation, though some marks may have resulted from dragging firewood.
While the earliest known wheeled vehicles date back to Mesopotamia around 2,500 BC, the travois represents a much older form of transport.
Historically, Indigenous peoples used travois pulled by horses or dogs, but the White Sands discovery suggests early humans may have used them manually.
"Maybe they were created to help move camp, or more likely, transport meat from a hunting site," the researchers proposed, comparing the practice to modern grocery shopping.
The study provides a deeper understanding of early human survival strategies, challenging traditional archaeological perspectives that have focused primarily on stone tools.
"Footprints connect people to the past in a way that a stone tool or archaeological artifact never can," the researchers emphasized.
