The Ladder: Humble Servant Of Civilization
April 21, 2010
Ladders have been around 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. Ladders have been used in construction, battles, farming, and exploration. While it is a humble simple tool, it has helped shape our culture in significant ways. Presently nearly every home has an industrial ladder. An aluminum ladder is a device that can be a marvel of engineering. Ladders have evolved and adapted to be use in many functions.
Ladders have been a standard weapon in warfare, used both in offense and defense. In the canyon country of the United States there are many cliff dwellings that {are accessed by using ladders|use ladders. Cliff dwellings are remarkable constructions built to be shaded during the heat of summer and warmed by the sun in the cold of winter. Many dwellings have steps carved into the rock for access. One interesting feature is that there will be sections without steps. 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.
Breeching a castle wall was very difficult and required an all out assault with a high casualty rate. Breeching the castle wall with a ladder almost always met with failure. If a charge set 30 ladders against the castle wall, 29 of the ladders would be repelled. But the attacking force rarely required more then one ladder to be successful to turn the tide of a battle. Ladders were also are used as bridges to get across a moat or connect buildings.
In a different kind of battle, fighting fires, ladders have been an important resource. Ladder trucks have become one of the primary weapons against fighting fires in multiple story buildings. A lot of people are alive because they have been plucked from the flames by a fireman on a ladder. Many more have been saved 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 fire safety and peace of mind to homeowners.
The simple ladder has been used through out history and has provided safety, victory or great accomplishments. The Sistine chapel would not have been built without the help of the ladder. Michelangelo may not have painted his master piece on the ceiling without the aid of ladders. Simple and ordinary as they are ladders have helped change the face of civilization.
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