Camel And The Wheel

Camels! One of Earths creatures and one of the most curious and interesting animals to talk about in how they alone have impacted the history of not only the world but, the middle east as well. The camel has played a very important role in not only the Middle East but also many other parts of the world. Regions like Africa, Iran, and parts of the Stans. The Camel played many important roles in many different aspects of peoples lives. Anything from travel, warfare, art, trade and many different parts of society. However, we are going to specifically look at parts and history of the Camel and why it is actually quite fascinating and important to several civilizations.

There is a book called "The Camel and the wheel" by Richard W. Bulliet about how the Camel replaced the wheel and its effects on the entire Middle East and many other regions of the
world. THe book talked a lot about how the Roman empire found that "they were twenty percent more efficient than an animal with a kart pulling goods."

The Romans knew that within the regions of their empire they needed other ways to travel so, they used Camels especially within regions of there empires that they could use them in rough and desert terrain. However, when and were these wonderful camels domesticated?

Reading more of "The Camel and the Wheel" that I was given to read, I found that there is no definite answer to the question of where they were domesticated. "Camel and the wheel," the book said that in the case of southern Arabia looks promising and has more references to the domestication of the Camel. Some say the first breeds were in Mahrah, Oman and the tribe of ID. However, Arab folklore counters this by saying that Semites that settles Souther Arabia didn't arrive until the 6th century. The book overall indicates that "the steps between hunting and taming can only be guessed at" so, overall it would be very difficult for us to pin down when they became domesticated.

The Camel and the Wheel also explain, how the Northern Arabian Saddle and the Rise of the Arabs in the Middle East and its rapid expansion in Iran, North Africa, and all the way to India.
We also see how Camels spread all over the World. In the 1860s the British, German, and Portuguese empires all used Camels in America with different levels of success. Spain even imported Camels in 1831 and they were used on the Canary Islands in Spain all the way till the Smapsih Civil war.

The camel of course slowly went out of importance as technology improved and the wheel improved, and Western Culture wanted to bring back the wheel as industry and the automobile became prominent. However, Camels are still used in different parts of the world especially in Rural agriculture in some regions, meat markets, and herding. Herds of Camels, however, have been hit with weather and diseases that cause population decline. Overall, Camels have a long and important history in not only the Middle East but in many different areas of the
world.