We all take our luxurious and comfortable beds for granted, and we don’t think about how much they have changed throughout time from a pallet raised off the ground to a leather bed, beds really have changed since their origins.
Here is a timeline of how beds have developed throughout history and into modern times.
10,000 years ago it was in the Neolithic period that people started sleeping on beds made using branches
3400BCE the Egyptian pharaohs found the benefits of raising a bed off the ground. King Tutankhmen slept on a bed made from ebony and gold, while other people slept heaped palm bows in the corner of rooms
Roman Empire it was the Romans who first developed beds decorated with gold, silver or bronze
13th century beds were introduced with canopies suspended from beams by ropes
15th century wooden four poster beds were developed, they were vast and designed with pillars up to 18in and had intricate engravings in the wood
18th century designed styles of beds that we most associate with modern beds from cast iron, as they developed a sleeping space that was less attractive to bugs
1900 William Lawrence Murphy developed the Murphy Bed that folded into a wardrobe
1940s Futons were introduced to North Americans, although they had been around for hundreds of years in the Orient
1960s the water bed and adjustable bed were developed
1980s the air bed was introduced
1999 the king size bed was the most popular bed size in America
Now that you know how and when beds changed and evolved throughout history, you can settle down into your up to date bed and enjoy a good night’s sleep.
