Summary: Apparently MesoAmerican people had pre-Columbian wheels. On toys. But not so much large scale. Where they banned? Did the technology never leap to full scale? Were they simply impractical? What toy technology are we overlooking?
An interesting puzzle for your consideration: The MesoAmerican Wheeled Toys...
BLOT: (09 Apr 2011 - 10:18:59 AM)
An interesting puzzle for your consideration: The MesoAmerican Wheeled Toys...
A student sent an email to the reference desk asking about MesoAmerican wheeled toys. Apparently, MesoAmerican, pre-Columbian people had wheeled toys, but not wheels in the full-size sense of the word. The student was wanting some more detail so I sent on a few articles at the bottom of the above link, but it does make you wonder: why was there no leap from small to large scale versions? Even without beasts of burden, you had potential of rickshaw style transport, wheelbarrows. The terrain may have been wheel unfriendly. Or maybe larger wheels made of wood have all faded while toy wheels, made of clay, have stuck around. The website link has a few suggestions (the terrain one, but also a couple of religious ones and some others). Still. Makes you wonder. What toy-technology are *we* overlooking?
OTHER BLOTS THIS MONTH: April 2011
dickens of a blog
Written by Doug Bolden
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