Beds Of Ancient Designs

The modern bed is perhaps one of the most convenient items that we most take for granted on a day to day basis. But we didn’t always have the convenience of the modern bed. On the contrary, we started off by sleeping on the ground most of the time thousands of years ago. So where did the modern bed come from? The earliest of beds were thought to have been made up of the most rudimentary and easy to find organic items such as leaves or straw. While we ended sleeping on the floor for the longest time, at some point in our history, we decided to have raised beds. Raised beds offered a slew of benefits which revolved around the fact that it didn’t have to come into contact with a dry (or wet) surface that was crawling with pests.

Some of the earliest raised beds found were from Scotland. They were made of stone and probably used some sort of filler material to ensure some modicum of comfort. But they were not common and were thought to be quite costly. As such, they were probably only accessible to the very wealthy. If you think the highest modern raised bed is tall, then you haven’t seen what the ancient Egyptians thought of raised beds. Theirs were so high up that they often had to build stairs leading up to it! The ancient Egyptians also employed some of the earliest pillows and bolsters. In other cultures, pillows were a form of headrests that were made out of a wide variety of materials including ceramics, stone as well as wood.

But if you’re looking for the oldest written description of a bed, then you have to look at the ancient Greeks. Homer’s Odyssey describes Odysseus constructing a bed made from the wood of an olive tree for his wife, Penelope. Which brings us to beds of ancient Greek design. The Greeks were one of the first to use headboards on their beds and it seemed that they were highly decorated with animal skins. The Romans on the other hand, often had bed frames that were so high that steps were required, much like the ancient Egyptians. However, the frame itself was often made of metal in the form of copper. Their mattresses, were filled with soft materials such as wool or hay. But unlike modern man, the Romans used beds for a wide variety of purposes outside of sleeping. It was often used as a place where they ate or studied.

It is also known to us that Germans from the Middle Ages did not use raised beds. Instead, they utilized carpets and mattresses directly on the ground. These mattresses were usually filled with feathers and hair and wrapped up with animal skin. There is also evidence that they used linen sheets as blankets and curtains to cordon off the bed area from the rest of the room. Today, our beds seem to be a mix of the best elements of ancient beds. Our beds are almost always raised and make use of a host of items that make our stay on them as pleasurable as possible.