Carpets have been produced and used as home furnishing for thousands of years. They evolved from simple floor entrance covering that protected nomadic people from the cold to valuable possessions of kings and noblemen who looked upon them as signs of wealth, prestige and distinction.Woven carpets emerged early in human history also. By their nature, woven carpets are less expensive than knotted carpets. Their production called for the same fiber and yarn production effort required for knotted carpets. However, as plain weaving avoided the immesnsely laborious process of knotting, carpet weavers made good products at a substaintially lower cost to serve a broader segment of the population.Mechanization of spinning and weaving in Europe in the 18th century reduced the cost of woven carpets, paving the way to increased carpet consumption in Europe and North America. Hand knotted carpets and rugs continued to be produced on a limited scale to serve the luxury market.