History of Bed Technology

From Cave People to the Present

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update on slide 2

75,000 BCE - First Beds

The oldest known “bed” in the world was found in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was made of plants. The “blanket” ,or cover, was made of leaves. Here is a close up picture of part of the bed.

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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/111208-oldest-mattress-africa-archaeology-science

5000 BCE-Early Beds �

Beds were found in a cave. The cave is in Scotland. It had stones to sit on. It had a big stone for a bed. People put plants and animal skins on the bed.

http://www.platformbeds.com/assets/images/early_neolithic_bed.jpg

�3000 B.C.E.- Raised Beds made of metal or wood.�

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• Rich Egyptians had beds made of wood with metal coverings. Woven mats were placed on the wood frame. This made a platform for the mattress.
• Mattresses were made of wooden slats with strings or reeds which would hold wool cushions or other types of soft material. Egyptian used sheets made of linen (cloth).
• Poor people slept on the floor.
• Sometimes a whole family would share a bed.

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https://i.pinimg.com/736x/eb/74/c4/eb74c4ffea4aae50dd332d229fdfbea9.jpg

�1000 B.C.E. - Supports for Mattress�

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• Rich people in Europe had beds with supports beneath a platform. There was an outer metal frame with pieces going across the middle. This held up the mattress.

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1000 B.C. E.

Mattresses and Poor People

• Most of the mattresses were filled with feathers or straw. They had wool blankets.
• Poor people, though, had mats on the floor. The mats were woven from plants. The mats often had bugs.

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https://www.woolsome.shop/rush-mat-history/

�476 CE- Bed Curtains�

Starting around 476 CE in Europe people would have a bed with posts and lots of material hanging down. This kept people warm.

Beds were heavier and made of thicker parts. This is a painting of King Charlemagne and his bed.

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http://www.platformbeds.com/assets/images/charlemagne_art_bed.jpg

�476 CE - Vikings�

The Vikings were around at the same time. The Vikings made lighter beds. They had wooden pieces going across. The wooden pieces would support a mattress. The mattress was usually stuffed with hay.

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http://www.platformbeds.com/assets/images/10th_century_bed.gif

500 CE - Native American Beds

Different tribes had different beds. Most Native Americans had platform beds -- beds that were not on the ground. Beds would be covered with furs or a plants.

The Iroquois invented bunk beds. This saved them space in their longhouses.

https://www.saatva.com/blog/history-of-mattresses/#:~:text=Some%20Native%20American%20tribes%20used%20wood%20bedsteads%2C%20too&text=Before%20the%20colonists%20showed%20up,lined%20up%20against%20the%20walls.

bed with fur mattress

bunk bed

Beds during the Renaissance: 1300 CE�

• Many beds in this time were made of wood.
• They used ropes to make up the platform of the bed. Holes were made through the side rails and the head and foot boards People would pull the ropes through the holes. It looked like in a net. But it was tight.
• If you didn’t tighten the ropes, you would sink down to the floor. So people said to each other, “Sleep tight!”

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/a2/37/10/rope-bed.jpg

See the movie Rope Beds.

Beds during the Late Colonial Era: 1700’s CE�

People kept making their beds out of wood and ropes. They kept stuffing their mattresses with hay or feathers. They started using more curtains around the beds. Beds were the most expensive thing in the house, so people started making them fancy.

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Beds during the Industrial Revolution: 1800 CE�

• There were not as many very poor people, but there were more middle class people.
• Also, people started making things in factories. So, they made wooden bed parts smoother. They made the bed parts in factories.
• Soon many, many people could have wooden beds that weren’t very fancy.

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http://www.platformbeds.com/History-of-Beds_ep_58-1.html

Present or Modern Day Beds

2023 CE

In modern times, people have many choices. There are wooden beds, metal beds, plastic beds, pull-out sofa beds, futons, and more. Most beds have frames that mean we are not sleeping on the floor.

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futon

Sofa bed

Present or Modern Day Mattresses

2023 CE

Mattresses have stuffing and metal springs. Some fancy mattresses have memory foam, which shapes itself to the person on it. Other mattresses are full of gel that keeps people cool.

Memory Foam

Bibliography