Wicker furniture has been documented as far back as ancient Egypt,[3] that was considered to be one of the ideal elements of modern outdoor furniture. It was the first natural material to be used for furniture,[citation needed] starting out as baskets and chairs. The history of wicker furniture was revealed when archaeologists discovered dozens of wicker furniture items made from reed and swamp grasses (Saunders 1990) while working to uncover the civilizations of the Pharaohs.