A comfortable place to rest plays an important role in the daily life of a modern person, so the arrangement of a sleeping place has its own history, reflecting the stages of development of society and technical progress. Today, a bed is an integral attribute present in every home, without which it is almost impossible to do. This obligatory element of the interior has come a long way from a primitive version in the form of a pile of straw to a stylish, comfortable bed with a soft mattress, pillows and a warm blanket.
Interesting Features of Ancient World Beds
The first beds were made using stone as the main material, and animal skins or fern leaves for comfort and warmth. The oldest known examples were found in northern Scotland, they were a stone box with filling, slightly above ground level, and date back to 3200 BC. For a long time, the bed served people as a table, a chair, and a sleeping area.
The history of the first bed resembling the modern and familiar version is usually associated with the Bronze Age of Ancient Egypt. It was during this period that structures appeared that were raised beds above the ground in the form of a rectangular wooden frame covered with leather belts or ropes. Such luxury was not available to ordinary Egyptians, who used elevations made of boards and stones as a place to rest. For ancient Egyptian pharaohs, beds were decorated with decorative gold trim and resembled a lion or a wolf, on whose back a person could lie down to rest. But the elite of Egyptian society was far from the current level of comfort, because the role of a soft pillow was performed by special headrests made of wood, stone or metal.
Who came up with the name "bed"?
The first to create wooden beds with a headboard were the ancient Romans. Decorated with bronze overlays with specially made pillows and mattresses, such structures were called "lectus". This is where the fashion for canopies originated, the peak of popularity of which occurred in XIV-XV and gradually spreads throughout Europe. The ancient Greeks had several variants of bed designs - for sleeping "krabbatione", and for eating - "kline". It is assumed that the modern version of the word "bed" originated from the Greek name.
Luxurious Medieval Bed Designs: Canopies, Velvet and Furs
In the Middle Ages, castles and stone houses of Europeans could not boast of special comfort, and in heated rooms all the warm air was distributed unevenly in the rooms. To protect against dampness and cold, beds began to be placed higher, and the light, decorative canopy of the ancient Romans was transformed into a dense canopy for better heat retention. In wealthy families, luxurious materials embroidered by gold seamstresses, with massive tassels and large canopies were ordered for such canopies with long folds for large sums of money. The frames were decorated with artistic carving, inlays with precious stones and paintings, and double curtains made of velvet, silk and even fur according to individual sketches were used to protect against drafts. The structures were made of valuable wood species, thanks to which they turned into a real work of art.
5 Interesting Facts About the History of Beds You Didn't Know
Bed-cabinet. Since the Renaissance, when bed decoration became a privilege reserved for noble families, the custom of receiving guests on the bed has spread. Ministers held meetings and important conversations with ambassadors on special state beds that were not intended for sleeping.
Exercise bed. For the wife of the famous American doctor Stauffer, who suffered from a serious illness, in 1932 the bed was modified into a special exercise machine. This model was called the "Stauffer couch" and is still used to treat osteochondrosis.
Sphinx bed. One of the most famous pairs of lovers, Napoleon and Josephine, had their love bed decorated with luxurious sphinx heads as a symbol of the great French Empire.
Peter I's bed. Up until the 20th century, it was common in Europe to sleep in a sitting position on a bed, as it was believed that this position prolongs life, while any other position is unfavorable for health. Known for many innovations in Russian culture, Peter I also borrowed this habit from the Europeans, and a special sleeping closet, brought from Holland, which he used, is still kept in a museum in the city of Zaandam.
413 Louis beds XIV. The French "Sun King" Louis had the largest collection of different beds. And the process of waking up and going to bed was accompanied by pompous ceremonies, in which half the palace participated.
Since the mid-19th century, the bed has become popular in Rus' and appeared in the homes of wealthy peasants, merchants and landowners. During this period, structures with a metal base and a spring net, invented by the Frenchman Delagle, began to be used for the first time. The production of beds began to develop rapidly in parallel with the improvement of its convenience and the use of springs for manufacturing mattresses. The feather bed has been replaced by high-tech memory foam mattresses, and the design is able to make even the most extravagant wishes come true. The history of beds, types of beds, what is a bed, why do you need a bed, kings' beds, I lie on a bed.
