Bulliet’s interest in Middle Eastern modes of transport in history has resulted in a number of well-received studies, most notably his monograph, The Camel and the Wheel (New York, 1975). Forty years later he returns to the wheel, now with the aim of piecing together the nature of its first invention and introduction, as well as following its history over subsequent centuries. Bulliet is therefore on largely familiar ground, and he uses to good effect his experience in applying archaeological evidence—even of the most incomplete sort—to working out seemingly impossible puzzles.

Bulliet’s technical, as well as archaeological and historical, erudition are on display throughout The Wheel. At the outset, he alerts readers to certain technical distinctions that any student of the wheel must observe. Most important is the differentiation between independently rotating wheels (wheels that revolve around a stationary axle), wheel sets (wheels that are attached to rotating axles...

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