The discovery also updates our knowledges about when the first humans arrived in the Americas.

Archaeologists have uncovered the oldest known evidence of human transport vehicles—drag marks and footprints dating back 22,000 years—at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the U.S. These markings suggest that ancient people used a simple sledge-like device known as a travois to haul goods long before the invention of the wheel.

A travois, often described as a "wheelbarrow without wheels," consists of two long wooden poles joined at one end and dragged across the ground. Typically used to carry supplies such as meat or firewood, these primitive transport tools were later well-documented in Indigenous traditions, often pulled by dogs or horses.

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However, the White Sands discovery shows that humans were using them long before domesticated animals played a role, according to a study published in the ScienceDirect journal Quaternary Science Advances.

The tracks, found in the dried remnants of an ancient lakebed, were preserved under layers of sediment for millennia.

Their exposure was made possible through a combination of natural erosion and careful excavation.

Alongside them, researchers also discovered some of the oldest known human footprints in the Americas, further reshaping our understanding of early human migration.

“This is the earliest evidence of human transport technology,” says Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University, in a statement. “There’s nothing else this old.”

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The findings push back the timeline of human ingenuity, predating the invention of the wheeled vehicle in Mesopotamia by nearly 17,000 years.

While some of the drag marks could have resulted from hauling firewood, the researchers—working in collaboration with Indigenous communities—believe the travois was primarily used to transport supplies, possibly from a hunting site.

This echoes modern-day shopping carts, with the burdened traveler trudging forward, perhaps accompanied by a group of children.

Improvised from tent poles, spears, or firewood when needed, the travois was a vital tool for survival in a world where efficiency meant endurance. This groundbreaking discovery at White Sands offers a rare glimpse into the resourcefulness of early humans, rewriting what we know about their movement and ingenuity.

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