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A Brief History of Rugs and Carpets
Rugs and carpets have a rich history, only
part of which is known. Ancient rugs are very rare because the
earliest rugs were made of organic fibers. Organic fibers
disintegrate speedily over time, thus preservation over thousands of
years is extremely rare. What we do know is that the art of weaving
is very old and dates back thousands of years.
Weaving began with rough, simple mats and baskets made of grasses,
reeds, leaves, and other natural materials. The first true ‘rugs’
were probably rough cured skins used as floor coverings in the homes
of early hunters. With tough, flexible backing and generally soft
material (called ‘pile’), these rugs served to keep the home more
warm and insulated.
There is evidence for weaving and the existence of rugs in ancient
Mesopotamia and Turkey as far back as 7000 and 8000 B.C.E., and in
Egypt (wool and cotton) as early as the third millennium B.C.E.
Mongolia and China were also main players in the textile industry,
and nomadic herders and Chinese weavers were among the first to
develop and weave wool rugs.
Weaving developed in many other parts of the world in addition to
Europe, including parts of the Americas as far back as 5500 B.C.E.
Weavers began to use natural colors and gradually transitioned to
using vegetable, flower, and insect materials.
Silk development in China, the ornate, intricate embroidery and
designs of Turkey and Mongolia, and the development of more
sophisticated looms and weaving techniques throughout the world
lifted rug-making from necessity to art form.
Italian merchants first brought oriental rugs to Europe, where they
were used as wall hangings and coverings. By 1600, France had
developed a dominant weaver’s guild, and England wasn’t far behind.
The 1700’s marked England’s emergence into the weaving industry, and
by about 1830, a good portion of the wool produced in England was
used for carpets.
Various machines were created to aid the process of weaving, and
looms have become so sophisticated today that they run off of
computer algorithms. Rugs were not widely available in the US and
Europe until the onset of mass production and the invention of
industrial grade machines.
The first steam-powered loom appeared in 1787, and by 1876, the
invention of the Axminster loom, a machine that permitted unlimited
use of color and design, boosted the production of carpets. The
advent of synthetic fibers and tufted carpet (carpet manufactured by
the insertion of tufts of yarn through a carpet-backing fabric) made
mass production and purchase of carpets easier, faster, and less
expensive.
About the Author: D. Benjamin is the owner of
iapsales.com LLC - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We
are distributors of
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Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to
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generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential &
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