Looking to learn the Origins of the Pile Rug? You have come to the right place!
Rugs date back thousands of years, but their history is somewhat unknown. Flat-woven rugs and floor coverings were developed all around the world by those who had developed the skills of weaving. However pile rugs have a less generalised source. From the Middle Ages, the Middle East was at the centre of the production of the knotted carpet, especially Turkey and Persia. But it seems that pile carpets did not originate from there.
The woven pile rug might have fantastic designs like the flatwoven rugs. But could also have the thickness, texture and high-quality protection of fur hides. Wool weaving to make a rug removed the need to kill an animal for its hide, and the rug could also be used for decorative purposes. Thus, the pile carpet was a textile substitute for sheepskins and hides.
Since pile rugs developed as an adaptation of animal hides it is unlikely that this idea started in the warm Middle East. There are areas that are colder, especially the mountainous regions. But rug weaving has always been known to come from urban locations, not rural highlands. Over the last century, many archaeological discoveries have been made which have found that the earliest known carpets. Made in the High Altai Mountains of Siberia, north and west of Mongolia. These people were nomads who required animal hides, sheepskins and textiles to keep them safe and protected from the bitterly cold temperatures that they faced. Knotted pile carpet from this area can be dated back to 600BC. As fragments of pile carpet found in tombs have been carbon dated to that time.
Materials
Unfortunately, the materials used to create rugs and carpets are highly perishable. And so are not expected to last thousands of years. Many fragments have been found, usually with no discernable pattern. However in a frozen tomb at Pazyryrk a carpet which dates back to 2500BC was found that was almost fully intact. The design is elaborate and sophisticated, and scholars have doubted that it came from nomads. The rug has a chessboard design with floral motifs in each square, with borders featuring floral designs, griffins, deer and a frieze of horsemen. Rich reds and golds are the main colours, but it also has soft green and blue.
We know that this rug did indeed come from a nomadic society because the wool used is identical to the wool of the sheepskin hides found in tombs nearby. Which definitely came from local sources. Much of the design is related to ancient Persian art. However since textiles were imported it is possible that Persian designs could have reached the nomads, who wished to reproduce and imitate the beautiful art work.
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