Baskets: Its history
December 13th, 2013
Baskets are considered to be a wonderful place for nestling everything right from fruits, wine, baby shower gifts and various other household items. They have a natural texture, charming look and an unbeatable durability. In this modern world, baskets have rather become the principal of home décor and gift giving. Also, they have been carrying with them a long history dating back to around thousands of years. The following ways explain how the baskets entered people’s home and hearts.
The initial baskets
It is somewhat tough to state exactly as to when the initial baskets were crafted. However, they were constructed from natural materials, which decayed easily over the years, such as grass, roots and wood. This is why historians did have a hard time to find baskets that were used long back. Some of the oldest basket remains were found at Faiyum, Egypt, and their ages are about 12,000 years. Other ancient baskets have been discovered in Middle East that age about 7,000 years. The dead were buried by the Sumerians in these hand-woven containers, and also several mentions were made in the ‘earlier Testament’ of the Bible.
Baskets: Their early uses
Much before plastic storage containers, refrigerators, closets and pitchers, man always had a need to store water, food and their belongings. Hence, various kinds of baskets were invented for accommodating the different requirements. For instance, people living besides the ocean had designed tight woven baskets for holding water and fish. People residing in wooded areas crafted baskets for holding grains and harvested food.
Carrying fruits and flowers
Basket pieces in several parts of the globe have been found in gravesites. They are said to contain pollen traces, which meant that they were utilised in the ancient times for carrying fruits and flowers for the deceased ones. In short, fruit basket is not something new, and this proves to be an integral part of occasions throughout history.
Various types of baskets
With trade flourishing between countries across the globe, baskets were utilised for transporting goods and merchandise from one place to the other. This resulted in the creation of different types of basket weaving styles that spread across cultures and borders. For instance, baskets were once used to pack and deliver products at the time of the great industrial revolution in the factories. It was also utilised for transporting carrier pigeons, food, other supplies and ammunitions during the First World War and the Second World War by both parties involved.
With the passing time and with increased innovative techniques, baskets have become a unique and integral art form, including a practical necessity. In today’s world, they are collected not only just for their functionality as gift holders and storage containers, but also for its uniqueness and beauty. Manufacturers have been trying to come out with different types of baskets that are attractive and come in various shapes.
With such a beautiful history behind the baskets, people looking forward to presenting gifts to their beloved ones can do so by delivery of fruit basket or flower basket to let them know the extent of their love and affection.