Rugs and carpets have a rich history, only part of which isknown. Ancient rugs are very rare because the earliest rugs were made oforganic fibers. Organic fibers disintegrate speedily over time, thuspreservation over thousands of years is extremely rare. What we do know is thatthe art of weaving is very old and dates back thousands of years.
Weaving began with rough, simple mats and baskets made ofgrasses, reeds, leaves, and other natural materials. The first true 'rugs' wereprobably rough cured skins used as floor coverings in the homes of earlyhunters. 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 inancient Mesopotamia and Turkey as far back as 7000 and 8000 B.C.E., and inEgypt (wool and cotton) as early as the third millennium B.C.E. Mongolia andChina were also main players in the textile industry, and nomadic herders andChinese weavers were among the first to develop and weave wool rugs.
Weaving developed in many other parts of the world inaddition 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 usingvegetable, flower, and insect materials.
Silk development in China, the ornate, intricate embroideryand designs of Turkey and Mongolia, and the development of more sophisticatedlooms and weaving techniques throughout the world lifted rug-making fromnecessity 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 woolproduced 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 computeralgorithms. Rugs were not widely available in the US and Europe until the onsetof 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 ofcolor and design, boosted the production of carpets. The advent of syntheticfibers and tufted carpet (carpet manufactured by the insertion of tufts of yarnthrough a carpet-backing fabric) made mass production and purchase of carpetseasier, faster, and less expensive.
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