History of the Hammock
Modern-day hammocks, which come in various shapes and forms have come a long way since they were originally created thousands of years ago. Although the hammocks we know today are believed to be invented by the indigenous Maya peoples and had wide usage in Central and South America over 1000 years ago, some historians suggest that the idea of a hammock as a bed existed as early as 5th Century B.C.
Some historians believe that the first ever mention of the physical form of the hammock was by Greek philosopher Plutarch, who wrote about the luxurious life of Athenian politician Alcibiades (450-404 BC), and said: “He would have the decks of his triremes cut away that he might sleep more softly, his bedding being slung on cords rather than spread on the hard planks.” (1) Even though he doesn’t use a specific word to describe the hanging bed, it leaves to the reader's imagination of what it might have looked like.
Picture: Alcibiades being taught by Socrates, François-André Vincent, 1776.
The next recorded case of a hammock is about 15 centuries later when the illustration of a hammock appears in the 11th-century Old English Hexateuch. The illustration shows the biblical Joseph sitting in a wheeled cart or a vehicle, the body of which seems to be a cloth Hammock. (2)
Picture: Joseph in a hammock on wheels, 11th century.
3 centuries later, the hammock appears again in the British Luttrell Psalter, dated 1330, in the form of an illustration, and this time it appears to be more similar to modern hammocks with hanging loops.
Picture: Hammock in the Luttrell Psalter, 1330.
Even though there were some illustrations and descriptions of hammocks back to the 5th Century BC, the hammock itself was not used or known in Europe. It did not have a particular name, only descriptions and illustrations. It wasn't until Christopher Colombus arrived in the New World in the 15th Century and discovered that the locals, who he mistakenly thought were Indians, were widely using the hammocks in their everyday lives.
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Those people were, in fact, the Taino people in the Bahamas (current day Puerto Rico), who spoke a dialect of the Arawakan language group. In their language, they called it hamaka (meaning a stretch of cloth). (3)
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Although it was the Taino people who were first seen by Colombus using a hammock, they were not the ones who originally invented it.
It is believed that the Maya peoples originally invented the hammocks because of safety reasons, as they lived in the rainforests and staying off the ground was crucial to get protected from various insects and bugs.
In his book, "Ancient Maya: the Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization," Arthur Demarest writes: "From many centuries before Christ to about AD 900, the lowland Maya civilization achieved its apogee in the Peten forest of northern Guatemala and the adjacent portion of Mexico, Belize and western Honduras, what today we call the "Maya lowlands." For over 1500 years, this region was covered by a network of kingdoms dominated by "holy lords," sacred kings who were linked by complex ties of kinship, ritual, trade, and military alliance... Maya monuments displayed remarkable achievements in astronomy, mathematics, calendrics, as well as an elaborate cosmology and a volatile and violent political history. The accomplishments of the ancient Maya still astonish us today and the decline and disappearance of this society continues to challenge the imaginations of the public and the efforts of scientists." (4)
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Demarest, Arthur. Ancient Maya: the Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization, 2013.
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Picture: Mayapan - political and cultural capital of the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula during the late Post-Classic period from 1220s until the 1440s.
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Demarest continues to explain why it is so difficult to understand how such a high civilization could exist in a rainforest. He goes to say: "In general, jungles have been perceived by the public as the realm of less complex peoples - "tribes" or even "savages." Theory in the social sciences has differed from this popular perception more in presence of this complex society in a rain forest environment...The rise of civilization in a rain forest was baffling, given the few navigable rivers, no obvious need for irrigation, and no apparent need for centralize forms of agricultural management...One of the mysteries of the fundamental connection of all aspects of Maya society to its ecological and economic adaptation to the rainforest environment. Up until a few years ago, international conservation agencies had argued that such environments can only be saved by holding human populations down to a very low level. Contrary to this modern wisdom, the ancient Maya raised a remarkable, complex civilization in the Peten rain forest with population in the millions, and they sustained it for nearly two millennia. What were the secrets of the ancient Maya adaptation to the rain forest? How did they achieve a sustainable rain forest civilization?"
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Demarest, Arthur. Ancient Maya: the Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization, 2013.
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The setting of Maya civilization is the eastern portion of what archaeologists call "Mesoamerica." Geographically, Mesoamerica is simple enough to define.
It covers most of what is today Mexico and the countries of Upper Central America: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras. Anthropologists and archaeologists use this designation to refer to a "culture area," a region of similar culture traits and features.
For several millennia the various societies and civilizations of most of Mexico and Central America were in constant interaction through trade, migration, conquest, and other contacts. These interactions, as well as some common linguistic and ethnic origins, resulted in a sharing of many features across this vast and geographically diverse region."
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Demarest, Arthur. Ancient Maya: the Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization, 2013.
Picture: Map showing the extent of the Maya civilization (red), compared to all other Mesoamerica cultures (black)
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With some background info on Maya peoples, it's easier to understand how an ancient society could survive in such environments and especially in such big numbers. That's because they had to come up with never before seen inventions.
The hammock is one of those inventions.
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As trade between different ethnic groups throughout the region was booming, it didn't take long for the hammocks to spread throughout Central America. The main idea of the hammock (a piece of cloth hung between two trees) stayed the same, but different variations of it started to merge depending on the location and available resources. For example, the hammocks invented by the Maya people, hammocks were constructed from various materials, including tree bark, sisal, and palm fronds. Nowadays, traditional Mayan hammocks are made on a loom and are hand woven by men, women, and children. (5)
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One of my favorite styles of hammocks is the Venezuelan style, which not only gives you protection by being off ground, but the netting around it protects from venomous snakes, scorpions and various other tropical and non-tropical insects and bugs.
"The Venezuelan hammock's panels were always made of breathable material, necessary to prevent the onset of fungal infections caused by constant rain and high humidity.
Fine-woven sandfly netting provides more complete protection from mosquitoes, flies, and crawling insects, especially in regions notorious for malaria and screwworm infestations.
A waterproof top sheet rainfly could be added to protect the occupant from drenching by heavy nighttime rains, along with drop strings - short pieces of string tied to suspensions lines - to prevent rainwater from running from the tree trunk down the hammock cords o the hammock itself.
A breathable false cotton (later nylon) bottom panel was frequently added to these jungle hammocks, allowing air to pass through while still preventing mosquito stings to the occupant."(6)
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Picture: Camponion Hammock and Mosquito Net, inspired by the original Venezuelan hammock style.
When Colombus returned to Europe, he took a lot of hammocks back with him as he was fascinated by how useful they were. Upon returning to Europe, Christopher Colombus described his voyage saying: "A great many Indians in canoes came to the ship for the purpose of bartering their cotton, and Hamacas, or nets, in which they sleep...
Around 1590, hammocks were adopted for use in sailing ships; the Royal Navy formally adopted the sling hammock in 1597 when it ordered three hundred bolts of canvas for "hanging cabbons or beddes". Aboard ship, hammocks were regularly employed for sailors sleeping on the gun decks of warships, where limited space prevented the installation of permanent bunks. Since a slung hammock moves in concert with the motion of the vessel, the occupant is not at a risk of being thrown onto the deck during swells or rough seas. Likewise, a hammock provides more comfortable sleep than a bunk or a berth while at sea since the sleeper always stays well balanced, irrespective of the motion of the vessel. Prior to the adoption of naval hammocks, sailors would often be injured or even killed as they fell off their berths or rolled on the decks on heavy seas. The sides of traditional canvas naval hammocks wrap around the sleeper like a cocoon, making an inadvertent fall virtually impossible.
Many sailors became so accustomed to this way of sleeping that they brought their hammocks ashore with them on leave. The naval use of hammocks continued into the 20th century. During World War II, troopships sometimes employed hammocks for both naval ratings and soldiers in order to increase available space and troop carrying capacity. Many leisure sailors even today prefer hammocks over bunks because of better comfort in sleep while on the high seas." (7)
Current popular hammock styles include the spreader-bar, Mayan, Brazilian, Naval, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan (jungle), and travel hammocks. Each style is distinctive and has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Many hammocks come in a variety of colors, patterns, and sizes.
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Travel or camping hammocks are popular among leave-no-trace and ultra-light campers, hikers, and sailing enthusiasts for their reduced impact on the environment, lightness, and lack of bulk compared to tents. They are typically made of sturdy nylon parachute fabric, which may use ripstop techniques to improve durability. Some hammocks feature a mosquito net and storage pockets. Some types offer a ridgeline to make set up easier and may also include a slit for entry through the bottom of the hammock. Special webbing straps are used to loop around trees in order to create attachment points for the hammock. (8)
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Picture: Camponion Hammock and Mosquito Net, inspired by the original Venezuelan hammock style.
References/Citation URLs/Pictures
1. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg015.perseus-eng1:16.1
2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammock#cite_note-11
4. Demarest, Arthur. Ancient Maya: the Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization, 2013,
Alcibiades being taught by Socrates, François-André Vincent
Hammock in the Luttrell Psalter