Scientists have stumbled upon a set of weird 12,000-year-old doughnut shaped tools at a dig-site in Northern Israel, shedding light on when the first set of wheels were first invented.

The discovery has been published in the recent study in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Talia Yashuv and Leore Grosman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

The stones examined in the new study, unearthed at the Nahal-Ein Gev II archaeological site in northern Israel, date back around 12,000 years.

This period marked the significant transition to an agricultural lifestyle and the Neolithic era, predating the advent of cartwheels in the Bronze Age by millennia.

Talia Yashuv and Professor Leore Grosman from the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology analysed more than 100 holey limestone pebbles from the Nahal Ein Gev II excavation site.

Professor Grosman said: "These Natufian perforated stones are actually the first wheels in form and function - a round object with a hole in the centre connected to a rotating axle, used long before the appearance of the wheel for transportation purposes."

"This early use paved the way for future wheel-based rotational innovations, key advancements that revolutionised human technological history such as the potter's wheel and the cart wheel that appears 6,000 years ago.

"This study not only expands our understanding of technological innovation but also showcases how advanced research tools reveal insights into prehistoric craftsmanship, underscoring humanity's enduring drive for innovation."

Mr Yashuv added: "While the perforated pebbles were kept mostly at their natural unmodified shape, they represent wheels in form and function."

This collection of spindle whorls represents one of the earliest known examples of humans utilizing rotation with a wheel-like tool. They may have laid the groundwork for later rotational technologies, such as the potter’s wheel and the cart wheel, which played a crucial role in the advancement of early human civilizations.

The authors add: “The most important aspect of the study is how modern technology allows us to delve deep into touching the fingerprints of the prehistoric craftsman, then learn something new about them and their innovativeness, and at the same time, about our modern technology and how we’re linked.”