History

Carpets, Rugs & Floorcoverings through the ages

The origin of the first carpet, rug or floor covering among historians is always going to be an ongoing debate. The following timeline is constructed from many sources and is what I believe to be a fair representation of the development and use of floor coverings over time. It is not meant to be definitive; it’s more an article for those interested in the history and development of flooring.

7000 BC

Evidence of sheared sheep and goats hair being spun and woven.

5000 BC

The discovery of a pile carpet by Sergei Ivanovich Rudenko in 1949 is the oldest surviving example. Preserved in ice and excavated from the temple of the Shiite chief situated in the Pazyryk Valley of the Altai Mountains, in Siberia. It is highly decorated and is the earliest evidence that floor coverings were used to beautify dwellings. It is now housed at St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum.