Illustration of two types of travois, or sledge, that may have been used by ancient people in North America Gabriel Ugueto
Drag marks and human footprints made up to 22,000 years ago have been found on several sites at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. These are thought to have been made by people pulling long pieces of wood laden with goods and are the earliest evidence of such activity.
This kind of primitive vehicle is known as a travois. “Basically it’s a wheelbarrow without the wheel,” says Matthew Bennett at the University of Bournemouth in the…
