Page 7 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

1 getting started

A Brief History of tying or lashings around branches, either with bark torn

Making strong lines out of natural cordage is a fairly from trees or dried grasses and vines that littered
primitive process, and the use of natural cordage the forest floor. Securing skins to the body or about
has not altered much since early humankind’s crude a shelter was mostly done using lines and cords.
beginnings. The process of using lines dates back The functional knots used to do this have developed
at least 380,000 years, to when the inhabitants of through the ages as new materials and tools have
Terra Amata in France tied branches together to been invented to assist with holding or pulling
form shelters, or even further back in history to objects.
when Homo erectus (upright man) gathered groups Knots may have been used for decorative
of rocks for making tools such as axes, cleavers, purposes since 45,000 to 50,000 years ago, as
and scrapers. It is possible that such rocks had to be stone and ostrich shell beads have been found in
carried more than one or two at a time and therefore the Loiyangalani River Valley of the Serengeti
would have required a basket of leaves or some other National Park in Tanzania, Africa (New Scientist,
knotted or woven structure to facilitate this action March, 2004). Beads require the use of string to
,
(History and Science of Knots, JC Turner, P van de suspend them, which indicates to this writer that
Griend, Eds, World Scientific Publishing, 1996). knotting used in decoration has existed for at least
Tying knots may have started with simple bindings that length of time. The use of these beads may