Ladders have existed longer then recorded history. Paintings of ladders can be found from cave drawings 10,000 years ago. Prehistoric ladders were made from grass and used to collect honey from hives. Ladders have been an essential tool in the creation of civilization. They have been used in construction, warfare, agriculture, and exploration. While it is a basic device, it has helped shape our culture in significant ways. Today nearly every household has an industrial ladder. An aluminum ladder is a piece of equipment that is impressive in its design. They have developed and adapted to be use in many functions.
Ladders have been a standard weapon in warfare, used in assaults and for protection. In the South West United States there are many cliff dwellings that use ladders. Cliff dwellings are during the winter months. A lot of cliff dwellings have steps carved into the rock for access. Of note is the fact that these will often lack carved holds in certain places. These sections had ladders that could be easily removed making access to the dwelling difficult and providing another layer of protection.
In medieval times ladders were a standard tool for scaling castle walls, both inside and out. Opposing forces would march to castle walls and build as many ladders as they could to launch an assault.
Climbing over a castle wall was very difficult and required an all out assault with a high casualty rate. The ability to scale the castle wall with a ladder almost always met with failure. If a campaign set 30 ladders against the castle wall, 29 of the ladders would be repelled. But the attacking force rarely needed more then one ladder to be successful to turn the tide of a battle. Ladders could also are used as bridges to cross a gap in a wall, or a moat at the base.
In a different kind of battle, fighting fires, ladders have been an essential tool. Ladder trucks are one of the primary weapons against fighting fires in multiple story buildings. There are many people walking this earth today because they have been plucked from the flames by a fireman on a ladder. Many more have been self rescued by fire escapes with the exterior ladder attached to the buildings outside structure. Residential homes can be equipped with rope ladders that can be used to provide a second story exit and peace of mind to homeowners.
The humble ladder has been used through out history and has provided safety, victory or great accomplishments. The Sistine chapel would not exist without the use of the ladder. Michelangelo may not have painted his master piece on the ceiling without the aid of ladders. Humble and common as they are ladders have helped advance civilization.
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