The history of rugs is quite amazing. The weaving of rugs and carpets dates back to at least 500 BC. Rugs are made by weaving, at least this is how they started making rugs. Weaving is nothing new, our ancestors have been doing it for thousands of years. The first weaving that was done was to make baskets. They made baskets out of anything that was pliable, leaves, grass, twigs and whatever materials could be found at the time.
The most common material used for rugs back then was most likely goat and sheep hair. Later on the Chinese produced wool piles. Some of the first Chinese rugs and carpets were made out of cotton and wool backings.
Some of the first looms were made with two branches that looked like a fork and connected by a crosspiece. The binding threads were then flattened with a bar usually made of wood. They later learned to dye the threads with various natural colors from fruit, vegetables, animals and bugs.
In 1769 a machine was invented by a Richard Arkwright. The machine was designed to spin thread onto a bobbin. Not too many years later a machine was designed to spin a thousand threads at a time. Eventually it progressed to where we are at today.
An archaeologist in the 1950's found a rug that dated back to 500 BC or before. It was found in a frozen state in Siberia. It was a knotted rug of Turkish descent. This just goes to show you that rugs are by no means something new. Our ancestors have been using them since the beginning of time.
Before people ever started weaving hunters would use the animal hides they got off of their prey to make clothing, rugs, maps and other various things. Today rugs are mass produced by machines and most people have forgotten the history behind rugs. When buying your next rug, remember the history of rugs!