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 UK, a member of the team that studied the tracks.
They were widely used across the world, but this is by far the oldest evidence of their use, says Bennett. “There’s nothing this old.”
An ancient dried-up lake at White Sands has many ancient animal footprints, while human footprints were discovered there in 2017. In 2019, the team found long drag marks in association with human footprints, with several other examples identified since.
“They occur in lots of different areas, so it was widespread,” says Bennett. “It’s not just one inventive family using a travois.”
Some of the drag marks consist of a single line. The team think this was made by a travois consisting of two long pieces of wood joined in a triangle shape, with one end of each piece held in one hand, but only a single contact point with the ground.
Other drag marks consist of two parallel lines. These were probably the result of a travois where two pieces of wood were crossed in an X shape, providing two handles and two ground contact points, which would have been more stable.
The drag marks often go through the footprints of the person assumed to be pulling the travois, as would be expected. In some cases, there are parallel tracks of footprints – often of children – showing other people walking alongside.
Drag marks made by ancient vehicles in White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Bournemouth University
Elsewhere in the world travois were often pulled by dogs or horses, says Bennett, but there is no evidence that the people at White Sands used animals.
The dating of the footprints, announced in 2021, challenges the conventional idea that humans didn’t move into the Americas until ice sheets began retreating around 15,000 years ago.
“The peopling of the Americas debate is a very controversial one, but we’re fairly confident about the dates,” says Bennett. “The traditional story is that the ice sheets parted and they came, but you can come through before the door closes, too.” Other recent discoveries hint that humans may have reached the Americas as early as 33,000 years ago.
Bennett says there are very likely similar tracks around the world that haven’t been recognised for what they are. In fact, his team has already discovered similar markings elsewhere in the US, he says.
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