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by twic 1530 days ago
I didn't go to that museum, but i went to the one in Chania. The thing i remember most clearly is the little pull-along toy, substantially the same as one you might buy in a bougie toyshop today, that's getting on for three thousand years old:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clay_oxen_wheel,_a_t...

1 comments

Is that one of those cultures that had invented the wheel for a child’s toy, but not for any more practical purpose?
It is thought that the biggest challenge for using a wheel for serious applications was getting the axle right. This is not an issue for toys.

https://interestingengineering.com/the-history-and-evolution...

Sorry if I'm just spreading factoids and platitudes, but isn't this the point at which some people say "it's not the wheel that was the hard part; it was the axle and bearings."? So a wheel for a child's toy would almost not even be a wheel.
I think you are confused with the idea "the romans invented the steam engine but only used it as a toy" which semi-misleadingly refers to the Aeolipile.