For most of human history, sleeping on a soft pillow was a very luxurious habit! But did you know this bedtime comfort hasn’t always been so soft and fluffy? The oldest surviving record of a pillow is 9,000 years old and comes from Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The pillow was stone and raised the person’s head to keep pests from crawling into their mouth, ears, and nose.
Later, ancient Egyptians had both functional and religious reasons for using hard pillows. The structure supported people’s heads during sleep. These ancient people considered the head to be the spiritual center and most sacred part of the body. One of the gods they worshipped, Bes, was often carved on stone or ivory pillows as protection from evil spirits. The ancient Chinese also kept evil away with pillows. They believed hard pillows in the shape of fierce animals like lions and dragons scared evil spirits. Besides, pillows made of porcelain, jade, or bronze supported the head and neck, cooled down the body in hot temperatures, and kept elaborate hairstyles in place.
By the time of the ancient Greeks, pillows had become softer. The wealthy used pillows made with down feathers, while other people had ones stuffed with straw. However, these both had to be replaced often because they were vulnerable to mold and insects. These kinds of soft pillows weren’t often used during the Middle Ages because they were seen as a sign of weakness. In the 1500s, England’s King Henry VIII even banned soft pillows for everyone except himself and pregnant women!
Photo from the Internet 照片翻攝自網路
During the Industrial Revolution, widespread manufacturing made pillows affordable. These were mainly filled with chicken feathers until the 1960s, when durable polyester fiber was invented. Now, we have pillows of every shape, density, firmness and material. When you go to sleep tonight, think about how fortunate modern humans are to have easy access to comfortable pillows!
在人類歷史的大部分時間裡，睡在柔軟的枕頭上是一種非常奢侈的習慣！但你知道這項就寢時令人感到舒適的物品，並非總是那麼柔軟又蓬鬆嗎？現存最古老的枕頭記錄有九千年的歷史，來自美索不達米亞（今伊拉克）。這個枕頭是石頭製的，用來墊高個人的頭部，以防止害蟲爬入嘴巴、耳朵和鼻子。
後來，古埃及人因兼具實用性與宗教因素而使用硬枕頭。它的結構在睡眠期間支撐著人們的頭部。這些古人認為頭部是靈魂中樞以及人體最神聖的部分。古埃及人敬奉的其中一位神祇「貝斯」，常被刻在石頭或象牙枕頭上作為免受邪靈入侵的保護。古中國人也用枕頭避邪。他們認為有著兇猛動物外形的硬枕頭，如獅子和龍，可以嚇走惡靈。此外，用瓷、玉或青銅製成的枕頭支撐頭部和頸部，在高溫下讓身體降溫，並維持精緻的髮型。
到了古希臘時期，枕頭變得更軟了。有錢人使用羽絨製的枕頭，而其他人則使用稻草填充的枕頭。但是，這兩種枕頭都必須經常更換，因為它們容易產生黴菌與長蟲。這些種類的軟枕頭於中世紀並不常使用，因為它們被視為軟弱的象徵。在西元1500年代，英國國王亨利八世甚至下令，禁止除了他自己和孕婦以外的所有人使用軟枕頭！
在工業革命期間，廣泛的製造業讓人買得起枕頭。這些枕頭主要填充雞毛，直到西元1960年代發明了耐用的聚酯纖維。時至今日，我們擁有各種形狀、密度、硬度和材質的枕頭。今晚睡覺時，想想現代人能夠輕鬆獲得舒適的枕頭，是件多麼幸運的事！
MORE INFORMATION
fluffy adj. 蓬鬆的；毛茸茸的
Mesopotamia n. 美索不達米亞
Iraq n. 伊拉克
jade n. 玉；翡翠
mold n. 黴；黴菌
polyester n. 聚酯纖維
Egyptian n. 埃及人 & adj. 埃及（人）的
KEY VOCABULARY
1. luxurious adj. 豪華的；奢侈的
The chef at this restaurant creates expensive dishes with the most luxurious ingredients available.
這間餐廳的主廚用所能得到最奢華的食材做出昂貴的料理。
2. spiritual adj. 精神上的；心靈的；宗教的
This very large tree has spiritual meaning to the local people; they even pray to it.
這棵非常大的樹對當地人來說具有精神意義；他們甚至向它祈禱。
3. sacred adj. 神聖的；宗教（性）的
Please take off your shoes before entering the sacred temple.
進入聖殿前請脫鞋。
4. fierce adj. 兇猛的；激烈的
This type of dog has a reputation for being fierce, but it can actually be very sweet.
雖然這種狗有著兇猛的名聲，但牠其實非常可愛。
5. bronze n. 青銅；青銅製品
It was reported yesterday that the famous 19th-century bronze horse sculpture was sold for US$20 million.
昨天有報導稱，那座著名的19世紀青銅馬雕像以美金兩千萬元售出。
6. in place 處於對的位置；準備就緒
Henry tied down the chairs in place so they wouldn’t be blown away when the storm came.
亨利把椅子綁好，這樣暴風雨來時它們才不會被吹走。
7. ban v. （官方）禁止；取締
The city has banned plastic straws in order to reduce plastic pollution.
這個城市已禁止使用塑膠吸管以減少塑膠污染。
8. pregnant adj. 懷孕的
Lucy and her husband are celebrating because they’ve just discovered she’s pregnant with twins.
露西和她丈夫發現她懷有雙胞胎，所以正在慶祝！
9. durable adj. 耐用的；持久的
This packaging is highly durable, so companies often use it for sending delicate goods.
這種包裝非常耐用，因此公司經常用它來寄送精美的產品。
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