Transport: A Very Brief History

Transport is one of the most fundamental facts of reality – anything we know to exist in our world is in motion.

So, it is not a matter of if; it is a matter of how. Early humans would have relied on leg power to transport themselves, their food, water, children, and possessions. That is until the invention of the wheel in Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE; well not quite, as those were used for pottery, but around 3200 BCE, someone had the idea to use the wheel in transport. Before that, logs and sledges were used to slide objects along, but they had limitations due to high friction. Boats and small ships were developed around this era, and both played a core role in transporting all things essential and, of course, some things less essential. Animals, such as mules, horses and camels, were also used, although these were still very much region-specific.

Later along our collective timeline, the paths most trodden developed a need to be reinforced, and we’ll all be familiar with the adage “all roads lead to Rome.” Roads were not just a convenience; they acted as arterial and venous vessels for the lifeblood of one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. They enabled extremely quick – for the time – communication and kept the economy flowing. It made it possible for the Roman Empire to span approximately 2.3 million square miles at its peak in 117 AD. It is impossible to overstate the importance of roads – they are one of many defining features of civilisation, and we’d be lost without them.

Ships carry a similar core function to civilisation and were used extensively in the Mediterranean Sea to cement the Roman Empire as the power in the region, transporting all manner of people and goods. They play a significant role in numerous writings such as Homer’s Odyssey and are featured in numerous historical artefacts such as painted vases, mosaics, and paintings, so their importance is well documented across most of human history. Again, it is impossible to overstate their importance – and that’s before we reach the advances in shipping of the 15th and 16th Centuries, when long-distance shipping had its advent.

Today, transport is all too often taken for granted, and it is only when it goes wrong that it gets the attention it deserves. Take, for example, the blockage of the Suez Canal when the Ever Given – chartered and operated by Evergreen Marine – got wedged. The Suez Canal Authority announced revenues of 6.3 billion USD in 2021 (£), so considering Ever Given was blocking the canal for six days and seven hours if we divide that annual figure, it equates to 108.6 million USD. But that’s just the fees for using the canal. Reportedly, approximately 1 trillion USD – 12% of global trade – passes through the canal each year, so that equates to 17 billion USD every six days and seven hours. This shows how impactful even a small disruption to shipping lanes can be and should serve as an early warning of what is to come as climate change plays havoc on our international trade and transport.

Likewise, transport plays a core role in the modern workplace; with 68% of commuters using cars to travel to work in 2022, 75% of people being employed, and 13% of workers working exclusively from home, it would be reasonable to deduce that from the 31.5 million people employed (£), that 21.5 million used a car in 2022 to get to work. That’s a lot of traffic, a lot of fuel, and a lot of tarmac.

Of course, it’s not all work and economics, people travel for leisure and curiosity, too. The question is, how can we continue to transport the essentials, and ourselves, sustainably?

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Credit: photo courtesy of RobTheRunt