The history of leather throughout civilisation
The history of leather
Our caveman ancestors used the hides of animals to keep warm. Using this first basic leather as clothing, as a shelter, as shoes and even simply for purely aesthetic purposes. A good leather piece was as highly treasured as gold in Egyptian times. Garments from as early as 1300 BC have been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs. Early European societies, Native Americans and Asian civilisations, all developed the skills of turning animal skins into leather autonomously of each other. Ancient Greek civilization have been recorded using leather around the same time as the Egyptians, and their use of leather carried on by the Roman Empire. The Chinese had been using leather for centuries when the first trade routes were established.
It’s not known when exactly we first discovered techniques to preserve and soften leather. Early methods involved using smoke, grease and bark extracts to treat it. It’s argued the technique of tanning leather using the back of trees came from the Middle East. Leather tanners became a much sought after skill, with trade secrets being passed down from father to son. During the middle ages, as civilisation developed in Europe, many of these trades from guilds, such as stone masons and blacksmiths. Leather tanning became a valuable asset to society, and was recognise as such through Royal Charters and special licences that were granted to people in order to work. As technology improved, chrome tanning replaced vegetable tanning, using chemicals. Chrome tanning now makes up around 90% of all the leather tanning in the world today.
We have always used leather, whether in its basic form of animal hide or through to chrome tanned and chemically treated. It’s been used over the millennia in everything from clothing such as belts and footwear, as flasks for liquids, to waterproof boats and ships, and even as armour. Leather truly is a staple of human civilisation.
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