Was the disappearance of the wheel an advance in terms of transportation in the Middle East? Yes, most of the Middle East had a desert terrain, where the wheel would merely sink through sand. So it was pretty ineffective.
The explanation of this phenomenon was lack of (deterioration of) roads in the Middle East. The whole network of Roman roads at some time fell out of repair (passed out of use).
It was the long, slow pace of the camel, that determined the demise of the wheel. Because of the primitive state of harnessing technology in the ancient east.
