Answers To The Question: How Was Glue Invented?
GLUE – One of the most common household items used by almost everybody from school to the office.
But, the invention of glue actually dates back thousands of years ago. Our ancestors would use glue to easily manage the tools they needed for survival.
The first iteration of glue spans the entirety of mankind’s modern history. It has been present since the earliest development of tools up to the rise and fall of empires.
The earliest form of adhesives came from the bark of a birch tree. This was used unprocessed in prehistoric times around 200 thousand years ago.
Based on an article from Glue History, by 5,200 BC more advanced processed were introduced in Continental Europe. These involved mixtures using solid polymer pitch.
This resulted in tar-based glue that required precise heating of birch bark. Afterward, the more common animal glue was introduced in Ancient Egypt about 4 thousand years ago.
The earliest known use of those types of glues were created by prolonged boiling of animal hides, hooves, and connective tissue.
At that time, only the rich were able to make use of this material. It was mainly utilized by nobles who wanted to reinforce the durability of papyrus scrolls and creating furniture.
Examples of animal glues were present in China around 900 to 1,000 AD. They were also mainly used by furniture makers and artists to preserve paintings.
The first instance of glue being used in modern Europe was during the 16th Century. Advances brought by trading and development of science allowed woodworkers to experiment with new designs.
This was all possible with the help of animal glues. They made beautiful furniture for nobles and created wooden instruments that were impossible to create before.
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