What Is The Hammock

Hammock. 

The hammock is a fabric sling suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts. Hammocks were developed by native inhabitants of tropical regions for sleeping. Later, they were used aboard ships by sailors to enable comfort and maximize available space, and by explorers or soldiers traveling in wooded regions. Today they are popular around the world for relaxation; they are also used as a lightweight bed on camping trips. The hammock is often seen as symbol of summer, leisure, relaxation and simple, easy living. 

History of Hammock 

A hammock (from Spanish hamaca, borrowed from Taíno and Arawak hamaka) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. The origins of the hammock, as the miniature hammock made of pure gold, which is presented in the museum of gold in Bogotá, shows, the origin of the hammock lies with the indigenous people of Middle and South America. They knew its value very early on, as they started calling the hammock the 'cradle of the gods'. The first hammocks were made of the bark of the hamack tree, making the origin of the original name hamaca abundantly clear. 

Columbus discovered the hammock in the Bahamas, where he stated in 1492 that people were sleeping in nets between the trees. He brought the hammock back to Europe where mainly sailors started using it extensively. Instead of having to sleep on the wet, hard and not to mention dirty deck, which was infested with vermin, sailors could now sleep relaxedly in their hammock, using the swell of the sea to fall asleep.