Questions About Wheels: The Four-Wheel Paradox

Richard Bulliet

Professor of History

Columbia University

February 27, 28 & 29
4:30 p.m., Room 140, University College, University of Toronto
15 King’s College Circle, Toronto View a map
Reception in Room 240 following lecture on February 27  

Monday, February 27: Why Were Wheels Invented?

First I will introduce the general problem of the four-wheel paradox:  In the lands where wheeled transport originated--from northern Europe southeastward to Mesopotamia, both two- and four-wheeled vehicles are attested from earliest times (4th millennium BCE).  In lands that adopted wheels through technological diffusion--China, India, Japan, Southeast Asia, etc.--only two-wheeled vehicles were used.  And in the Middle East/North Africa all wheeled transport was abandoned 2000 years ago.  The Europeans alone persisted in using four-wheeled transport despite its economic and technical deficiencies.  This persistence resulted, after almost 5000 years, in Europe alone developing a vehicular tradition that could make the transition to modernity.  Virtually all modern motor transport is predicated on a four-wheel concept.

The rest of this lecture will discuss the idea that wheeled vehicles originated for purposes of ritual and display rather than economics, but by the time the innovation diffused beyond its homeland, the economic value of wheels, and hence the preference for two-wheeled vehicles, had come to be recognized.

Tuesday, February 28: The Four-Wheel Problem 

This lecture will focus on the peculiar problems of utilizing four-wheeled vehicles, and on the circumstances involved in the use of these devices primarily for elite personal transport--up to the sixteenth century mostly for women--and for display.  The carriage revolution of the sixteenth century, and the development  of key technological improvements in the areas of steering, braking, suspension, and road surface will be stressed.

Wednesday, February 29: Railroads and Rickshaws 

The transformative importance of the railroad, which represented the first major increase in the velocity of human movement since the domestication of the horse, will be paired with the transformative importance for East and South Asia of the rickshaw, which was invented in Japan in 1869.  Each innovation changed the nature of transport, urban structure, labor organization, and travel experience in their respective areas.

Members of the faculty, staff, students, and the public are cordially invited.
Call (416) 978-7416 for more information.
No registration necessary.