The first proper bed has been unearthed in Arcy-sur-Cure in France. It is 130,000 years old and stood in a cave made from slats, upholstered with dried sea grass and straw covered animal skins. Later on, people slept in wooden huts on animal furs.

In approximately 3000 BC, the simple folk in Mesopotamia already had bedrooms with chests, baskets and low beds, which were covered with chaff and straw as a mattress.

The most famous bed in ancient times is that of the Assyrian king Assurbanipal, which can today be seen in the British Museum in London.

In 2000 BC, the sophisticated Egyptians already built beds from best pine. The beds for thier kings were made from ivory and richly ornamented.

The enormous 4.5 x 2 m iron bed of King Og of Baschan is the only bed described in detail in the bible.

The word "chamber" is derived from the Greek "kamára" for bedroom. A detailed description of a bed, is given by Aristophanes in his "Lysistrata: To make up with his wife, a devoted husband carried the individual parts of the bed, a wooden frame with straps, a bulrush mat, a pillow and a cover to her.

The simple Romans, who already lived in tenements, had loungers where they slept, read, wrote, ate and received visitors. The beds with straw sacks were generally attached to the wall.The rich Romans had loungers with spring mattresses made from fabric or carpets and little side tables made from marble, metal or wood. If they were ill, they made their slaves carry them through the town on these.