Not much thought and consideration goes into dragging the lofty reaches of the humble ladder from out the hides and pulling it over for lesser humans to chart the heights of the world upon their sometimes elegant, sometimes wobbly perching on it. Even less is the degree of effort therefore exerted to seek out the history of this essential item of everyday use which we ascend and descend as and when situations of heightened demand entails, whether that be for fixing the light bulb or cleaning the upper nooks and corners of the house or hanging the family portrait at the most optimum height and in the most perfect alignment or reaching out for the ball that oftentimes end up landing on the house roof in ample display indeed of one’s legendary balling exploits. Whether you command the services of the ladder as a layman needing to attend to chores as these or are some master professional whose job entails indeed a more than humongous tiptoeing to assert mastery over a dominion very much their own but still outside of their scope in strict human limitations of them, the ladder is an item of tremendous utility and one that makes the ache of prolonged hand stretches and neck raisings lesser matters of concern to consider about and instead focus on the task at hand.
Of such deliverance in convenience of efficiency and effectiveness, it is clear indeed that the ladder is a rather ingenious invention by humans even in its simplistic architecture binded though by utmost explorations of safety and purpose. And despite its more contemporary allusion to such settings that we have already mentioned as for instance the high rise roofs and spaces built into high enough explorations of the advanced world, the ladder is surprisingly ancient an entity finding use since ages earlier. While there exists a mention of this tool of utility in the Bible itself, the exact origins of it date back even further to some 10000 years ago but existing only as pictorial depictions of it upon a Mesolithic rock in what is now known as the Spider Caves in Valencia, Spain, it only is the earliest ever representation of the ladder. For all we might infer therefore, the days of the ladder might be even predated by this more concrete discovery of sorts though not in the physicality of its structure. In fact as research pertaining to such historical explorations of the ladder along its rungs of evolution suggest, the object itself would be in some sort of use among the ancient Hebrew and Egyptian lifestyles. The modern design of ladders are very often attributed to these civilisations in their use of them across expanses of the Middle East and northern Africa for a wide range of tasks though the basic premise governing their earliest springing to life should be sustenance indeed. Case in point being the Mesolithic rock painting that depicts in rather detail the ladder as long and flexible still as should have been appropriate in its use conjuring of such ideas in imaging that has two of our ancient predators reach out to the nest of honeybees in an attempt of harvesting honey. Also as intriguingly distinct were early ladders as these in the material of their making, generally built out of some sort of grass or such other plant fiber, advancing from which they began to be carved out instead of wood or instead made from ropes before industrial advancement made ladders instead entities more metal based along their length.
Source: Sapiens.org
Before foraying into the modern history of what has shaped up this staple of utilitarian basis to find application catering to a really diverse universe of needs, it though would be more appropriate to also explore them beyond their physical prominence as a feature characteristic of most such ordinary items with definite ancientry steeped in them. Thus emerges the most prominent consideration of the idea of the ladder being imbibed in religion itself, with the Biblical ladder dreamt of by Jacob finding mention in the Book of Genesis. Way more far flung in its extent of reach that surpassed the mere physical dimensions of space to deliver instead such imagery of being a pathway to heaven had been the distinctive indeed Jacob’s ladder along which angels continuously made the climb to and fro from God’s realm to the earthly premises of the mortals. This version of the ladder is evidently quite significant in an assertion outside of its capacity of allowing access to hard to reach areas and expanses, finding expression instead as religious metaphors commonly alluded to ever since.
Expanding across such realms of the symbolic to assume similar such interpretation in cultural and social contexts was the ladder that touched upon local beliefs and superstitions while continuing to be as relevantly attached to religious expressions. In more common takes across popular culture, the ladder also began to hinge on the rungs of comedy instead, coming to encompass such essence as being a trope particularly encountered within the dimensions of media meant for the entertainment of children, furthering still the superstitious links of it to bad luck. Perhaps of practical stemming in being asserting of the dangers associated indeed with walking under a ladder inclined to walls or surfaces at almost precarious angles has been this oft explored belief that considers the under ladder walk as inviting of ill fate. The allusion though tends to be even deeper rooted in ideas of metaphorical leanings that which tends to be of rather myriad assertions. One such stemming happens to be the image of a ladder propped up against walls evoking striking similar visuals as of a gallows even as traditions emerging from the ancient expanse of the Egyptian expression that viewed pyramids and triangles as representing of divine entities like the trinity of Gods and passing therefore through the triangular shape conjured up by ladders reclining on walls amounted to the sacrilegious act of desecration. Also widely prevalent a link rests upon the crucifixion of Christ making therefore the ladder a symbol of such negative attributes as wickedness, betrayal and death.
Venturing though into more practical areas of its use and ladders took upon such roles in working that saw them also being employed to not just aid tasks but also safeguard entire empires as well. Evoking this identity of the ladder along the hostile extent of warfare has been the act of escalade that which formed so much crucial a part of sieging exploits and war tactics of the ancient and medieval times. Exclusively relying on the might of ladders to scale defensive walls or ramparts had been this act of escalade that was among the most dangerous of options available for attacking underlying therefore the power yielded by this seemingly ordinary identity of the ladder. Thus establishing its versatility across a range of arenas in exploration that got indeed as diverse as they can, the ladder emerged to be force of omnipotence importance whether it be in its rendition of ease to everyday tasks or instead assuming the all more important role in warring and defence, while continuing to explore heavens of different dimensions altogether in continued religious and cultural context.
Returning though to concern ourselves with the materialist mode of which it accounts for over its prominence in manifold intensity, the ladder is a rather frills free being. The inventor of the ladder in its relevant form as what we readily take to in carrying out the multiple tasks of the modern world happens to be an American John H. Balsley even as the first ever ‘developer’ of it in times along history as early as the Stone Age is believed to be a certain caveman who went by the name of Ugg. Perhaps evolving from preceding devices of reaching out comparatively inaccessible pockets of nature such as notched poles and knotted vines had been those twigs and grass based inventions that gradually grew firmer and more rigid over the times, even though they would come to be more flexible but less wobbly in conformity to their seating in notions of safety and functionality. Likely used by inhabitants of areas where living high up on tree houses was the norm for a variety of reasons would be ladders that served the function of accessibility before they came to be used to chart out desires for food loftier in both their essence and reach to scouting out functionable dimensions along different earthly scapes from land to sea and even the more expansive scope of space while of course rendering itself indispensable still to even not so unfathomable extents of the same heighty space, the ladder have only been charting newer heights for itself. Not just heights though, ladders have also encompassed different modes of ‘existence’ as both rigid and foldable or flexible tools of use while obviously meeting as many diverse an expectations by taking charge with utmost concern even in its not very elevated status in general parlance. That should be somewhat ironic though, since the ladder is easily one of the more unmissable devices we seek out so very often in its seemingly stately indeed stature that we now know to be also as special in the summation of significance across the scores of its steps.
