This incredibly preserved 4,000 year old wagon made of just oakwood, unearthed in Armenia.

One of the 4000-year-old well-preserved wagons unearthed in the Lchashen village in the vicinity of Lake Sevan. Made of oak, they are the oldest known wagons in the world. Now on display at the History Museum of Armenia.

Over a dozen rich burials have been excavated in Armenia. The most spectacular were those excavated at Lchashen on the borders of Lake Sevan where a more than a dozen almost complete four-wheeled and two wheeled wagons, as well as two wheeled chariots with spoked wheels were uncovered. Two of these wagons form a spectacular display in the National Museum in Armenia.

The four solid wheels are made from three planks of oak, while the interior is covered by a covering of withies. In his chronology (Timeline of the Development of the Horse, 2007) Beverley Davis describes these wagons as follows: “Primitive wagons dating from this time (2000 BC) have been found in excellent condition in Armenia. These are the oldest known wagons in the world.” The wagons have also been included in Prof Stuart Piggott’s classic book “The Earliest Wheeled Transport”.

← Robe and axe of Giovanni Bugatti, the official Papal executioner who executed 514 peopleThe Tollund Man: The World’s Most Famous Bog Body →