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Are you wondering if pillows have always been as comfortable as they are today? To answer that, I spent a crazy amount of time researching the pillow and its LONG history. Read the article below where we go from pillows in ancient Mesopotamia, all the way to the pillows we use today.
When were pillows invented?
The first pillows were invented approximately 9000 years ago by the ancient Mesopotamians. These pillows were made of stone and carved into a cradle shape. They were not meant for comfort but for elevating the head to keep insects from crawling into a sleeper’s mouth, nose, or ears.
During this era, stone was very expensive and only wealthy and influential families had these stony pillows. Although they were considered a luxury at the time, stone pillows are obviously nowhere near as comfortable as the soft pillows we know and love today.
Pillows throughout the ages
Pillows have been evolving for thousands of years from ancient stone pillows to modern plush memory foam pillows. Below I’ll be going over the long history of pillows and how different cultures developed and improved its design.
Stone pillows
The Mesopotamian pillows that I mentioned above were the first pillows ever recorded and they were made of stone. As I said, their primary use was to keep a sleeper’s head elevated and away from insects. It wasn’t available for everybody because only the rich could afford this commodity.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, people had a different belief regarding pillows. For them, the head was the center of spiritual life and so it should be cared for and protected. Egyptian pillows kept the head elevated during sleep and they were made of marble, ivory, wood, or stone.
Aside from using it during their life, the ancient Egyptians also placed pillows carved with images of the gods under the heads of their dead. They believed that this protected the dead and kept bad spirits away.
Ancient China
Although the ancient Chinese had the knowledge of how to create soft textile pillows, they believed that soft pillows were a luxury that would sap energy from the body. They preferred hard pillows that were made of porcelain or bamboo. Other ancient Chinese pillows were made of bronze or jade and only the nobles and wealthy families possessed these decorative pillows.
Both the pottery pillow and the ceramic pillow were invented in ancient China.
Ancient Rome
Stone pillows largely disappeared with the dawn of the Roman Empire. That’s because the ancient Greeks and Romans introduced the soft pillow to the common people. Citizens used pillows made of cloth that were filled with natural materials like cotton, reeds, or straw.
Rich people used pillows that were filled with soft down feathers. However, the scarcity of pillows began after the fall of the Roman Empire as most people could not afford them anymore.
Pillows during the Industrial Revolution
Following the fall of the Roman Empire, pillows were very uncommon during the Middle Ages as the only people who could afford such a luxury were nobility. King Henry VIII even banned soft pillows for everyone except pregnant women in the 1500s. After his reign, the use of pillows became widespread again, although the filling had to be changed often due to mold and vermin.
In the year 1760, the Industrial Revolution began and signaled the biggest change for pillows. The sudden surplus of affordable textiles made it possible for nearly everyone to get a soft pillow to sleep on. The most common filling materials were clean hay and chicken feathers.
On the other hand, hunters and wealthy individuals had their pillows filled with soft goose down. However, these natural filling materials were susceptible to mold and mildew. People had to change the filling each season to keep their pillows clean and fresh.
Fast forward to the Victorian era in England, people started using throw pillows for couches and chairs. These decorated pillows were mostly used by nobles and those in the upper class.
Modern pillows
Pillows remained pretty much the same after the Industrial Revolution and it wasn’t until the 1960s that another major development occurred with the invention of polyester filling. Polyester filling was a new synthetic material that did not have the drawbacks of natural filling. It retained its shape and it was much more durable than any other filling material that was used before it.
Eventually, new filling materials emerged ranging from foam pellets and cooling gels to NASA’s memory foam which became popular for pillows and mattresses alike (read our mattress history guide to learn more). Environmentally friendly pillow fills like buckwheat and dried lavender pods also became available for eco-conscious individuals.
Today, pillows come in almost every shape and form. Your options are limitless, from a soft pillow all the way to a firmer pillow, you can get whatever suits your needs. And aside from providing support and comfort for your head and neck, other pillow types such as body pillows are now available to help improve spinal alignment and relieve pressure points. There are also pillows that cater to particular sleeping positions such as back sleepers, stomach sleepers and side sleepers.
FAQs
The ancient Mesopotamians invented the first form of pillow and it was made of carved stone. It was made to elevate a sleeper’s head to prevent insects from entering the mouth, nose, and ears.
Before the invention of pillows, humans mostly slept on makeshift sleep surfaces such as piles of straw.
Yes, almost everyone had access to pillows at this time because the Industrial Revolution which paved the way for modern pillows had already occurred.
No, the ancient Egyptians were not the first people to use pillows. But, they were the first to use materials other than stone such as marble, ivory, and wood.
Conclusion
From the stone pillows of ancient Mesopotamia to the modern pillows of today, it’s clear that pillows only kept improving over time. Although ancient cultures had very different reasons and beliefs for using pillows, they all contributed to its development in one way or another. Today, pillows have become an essential sleep accessory which provides loads of benefits such as promoting healthy spinal alignment and relieving neck pain.
Next step: Take a look at Airweave pillow. It’s one of the most comfortable pillows available today (it would definitely make our stone age ancestors jealous). It’s made out of a proprietary cooling foam that helps you wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested. If you want a luxurious pillow and aren’t sure what to buy, go with Airweave.
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