The weaving of thread into cloth has been practiced for many thousands of years. As it is today, woven fabric was created by criss-crossing threads over and over again to form a tight mesh. Fairly early on, devices were constructed to make the task of weaving easier. One of the most primitive was called a peg loom or ground loom, and was used around 5,OOO b.c..

The ground loom consisted of two pegs driven into the ground, between which wooden bars were mounted. Long threads were hung over the wooden bars. The weaver sat in a shallow pit, weaving the cross-thread through the long threads. Later ground looms allowed the weaver to operate mechanisms by foot. Though this system was very crude, the quality of the fabric ultimately depended upon the skill of the weaver: an experienced weaver could produce beautiful tapestries on even the simplest of...