From early human attempts to gain higher ground, to modern day cities made up of towering skyscrapers, the ladder has proved an invaluable piece of equipment. It is a simply-designed tool but at the same time simply powerful as it signifies more than a tool for vertical movement and access, it serves as a holistic symbol of human strive, creativity and the never-ending quest to traverse physical barriers. It’s one of those things so fundamental that it sometimes becomes nearly invisible, but without it many things we take for granted as functioning would be impossible and many industries would be shut down.
This webcomic’s examination of the ladder is not narrow in scope – it explores the many faces of the ladder, from its historical roots, the whys and wherefores of design, why you should never take your ladders Brisbane for granted, the cultural force that the ladder exerts, and finally into the innovations that will drive the ladder’s development in the years to come. The ladder is, in effect, the silent observer of mankind’s persistent rise.
A Short History of Ascent: From Palm to Aluminium
It is a story as old as human civilisation, and maybe even older. Our forebears, in their pursuit of food, shelter or a way to escape predators, no doubt automatically realised the usefulness of a prone log, a hefty branch or a row of handholds to ascend to that elevated place. The first known use of the word occurs in a cave painting in Valencia, Spain (about 10,000 to 6,000 years ago), in which it depicts two people using a long flexible ladder to reach a wild nest of honeybees; the ladder is depicted in the same advanced state of development as ladders used in late medieval paintings. The rudimentary representation is evidence that the idea of an artificial apparatus for rising off the ground was thought of quite early in human evolution.
The development of ladders at Reflex Equip became more advanced as societies progressed. The ancient Egyptians, whose grandiose architecture has become known world over, can be expected to have used primitive ladders, probably in wood and perhaps even in rope, in the building of their pyramids and temples. Although actual examples of these tools don’t survive well for us in the archaeological record (since they’re made from perishable materials like wood and plant fibres), the size of their construction projects tell us they had to be used. The Romans, ever the ingenious engineers and tacticians would make more sophisticated ladders, particularly for use in combat. Siege ladders, frequently two-story, four-story, as well as sometimes up to two-story with wheels or grappling hooks on the end, were pivotal assault instruments used to breach a defensive wall, indicating early on an understanding of principles of equilibrium and momentum.
Conclusion
During the medieval era, Middle Eastern and Chinese cultures used wooden ladders for warfare and building. They were a necessity to reach tall ramparts, to build cathedrals. and to walk through multi-story buildings. But those ladders also were usually clumsy, heavy and not very long. The materials on hand, mostly wood, dictated how they were built, and they wouldn’t change much over hundreds of years. Significant change did not occur until the advent of the Industrial Revolution.
