Archaeologists have discovered the earliest known evidence of prehistoric handcarts at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, USA, dating back an astonishing 22,000 years.
The remarkable find consists of long linear impressions extending up to 150 feet alongside human footprints preserved in ancient dried mud.
Researchers from Bournemouth University believe these track marks were created by primitive wooden transportation devices used long before the invention of the wheel.
This breakthrough finally provides tangible evidence of how our earliest ancestors transported heavy loads during their migrations across the prehistoric landscape.
The long linear impressions were found in the New Mexico desert
Gabriel Ugueto/Bournemouth University
The drag marks represent a type of primitive vehicle known as a travois, essentially “a wheelbarrow without the wheel,” according to Matthew Bennett from Bournemouth University.
He added: “We know that our earliest ancestors must have used some form of transport to carry their possessions as they migrated around the world, but evidence in the form of wooden vehicles has rotted away.”
These impressions provide the first concrete evidence of how prehistoric humans moved heavy and bulky loads before wheeled vehicles existed.
The marks appear in multiple locations throughout the park, suggesting this transportation method was widespread rather than limited to “just one inventive family.”
Researchers identified two distinct types of travois designs from the ancient tracks.
Some drag marks consist of a single line, likely made by two wooden pieces joined in a triangle shape with one ground contact point.
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Two drag marks can be spotted showing an X shape
Gabriel Ugueto/Bournemouth University
Others show two parallel lines, probably created by an X-shaped design with two handles and two ground contact points, offering greater stability.
“These drag-marks give us the first indication of how they moved heavy and bulky loads around before wheeled vehicles existed,” said Bennett.
The drag marks often intersect with the footprints of the person presumed to be pulling the primitive vehicle.
In some cases, parallel tracks of children’s footprints have been discovered alongside the travois marks, indicating families walking together.
Unlike travois used elsewhere in the world, there is no evidence that the White Sands people used animals to pull these devices.
The dating of these footprints and drag marks challenges conventional theories about human migration to the Americas.
Bennett said: “The peopling of the Americas debate is a very controversial one, but we’re fairly confident about the dates.”
Traditional theories suggested humans only entered the Americas around 15,000 years ago when ice sheets began retreating.
“This discovery represents the oldest evidence of travois use in the world,” Bennett emphasised.
The findings suggest humans may have reached the Americas as early as 33,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought.
Bennett believes similar prehistoric tracks likely exist elsewhere but haven’t been recognised for what they are.