The earliest historical record of pillow use is from about 7000 BCE in the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia

Pillows, the main object of our affection after a long, annoying day , right? – The soft,  functional object of convenience has been around to comfort people after long days for almost 9,000 years.

Pillows were first used by wealthy people in Ancient Mesopotamia around 7,000 BC.  At this time, pillows were used as a status indicator, the number of pillows a person had symbolised how wealthy and important they were. Beside this, people used pillows to solve  the problem of neck, back and shoulder pain; they were also beneficial for keeping insects out of people’s hair  while sleeping.

In Ancient Egypt dating back to 2055-1985 BC pillows were made of wood or stone and were especially associated with mummies and tombs for placing  under the head of the deceased.

 

An ancient Egyptian wooden pillow By Welcome ImagesCC BY 4.0,

Human head was considered sacred and the essence of life so ancient Egyptian used these wooden or stone pillows to provide support to corpse’s head and keep the demons away.

 

 

 

Decorated pillows piled on the corner of a bed Source: Wikipedia/Public Domain

The creation of softer more comfortable pillow was mastered by the Ancient Romans and Greeks. To make them more comfortable, they stuffed the pillow with feathers, reeds and straw. Just like in Mesopotamia, only upper-class people owned softer pillow, while all classes were allowed to use any pillow to give them support.

 

 

An embroidered Turkish pillow By Anton Lefterov – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

 

Pillows were first used in Ancient Europe as a knee support in churches so people can comfortably kneel while praying  or to place the holy books on.

 

A porcelain pillow from the Jīn Dynasty (1115–1234) By Daderot – Own work, CC0, 

In Ancient China, pillows were made from different material varying from bamboo, jade, porcelain wood and bronze.