Origins+of+Ropes

The history of ropes date back to prehistoric times. A rope is fibers twisted or braided. Braided ropes date back to about 17,000 B.C. Egyptians were the first civilization to use ropes in 4000 B.C. They made them water reeds, grass, leather and animal hair. In 2800BC, the Chinese made ropes used from hemp fibers. After this, rope making spread throughout all of Asia, India and Europe. During the Middle Ages (13th to 18th century), Europeans constructed their ropes in very long buildings called rope walks. The rope strands were laid out from one end of the building to the next and twisted until rope was formed. This allowed for strands of rope to be as long as 300yards. Ropes this long were needed because of the large ships Rope was still made from natural fibers until the 1950's when synthetic materials started being used. Although thousands of years has passed since rope making was first created, how we make and use ropes today stays virtually unchanged except for the materials and technology we use. Modern day used fibers for making rope include, manila, hemp, linen, cotton, coir, jute, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, Kevlar and polyester. Some ropes are a mixture of these fabrics, while others are constructed out of metal. Metal ropes are used for jobs that require more strength and less give. So I wanted to just concentrate on just the Western United States rope but I realized after some quick research that it does go back a very long time.



Western Rope, used on farming lands and livestock. Picture from: []

Anciet Egyptians ropes in the Geologic record of rocks. Picture from: []

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