A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration.

Pillows are used by

many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows, body pillows,
decorative pillows and many more.[1] Pillows that aid sleeping are a form of bedding that supports the
head and neck. Other types of pillows are designed to support the body when lying down or sitting.
There are also pillows that consider human body shape for increased comfort during sleep.
Decorative pillows used on people, couches or chairs are sometimes referred to as cushions.[2][3]
In contemporary western culture, pillows consist of a plain or patterned fabric envelope (known as a
pillowcase) which contains a soft stuffing, typically synthetic and typically standardized in sizes and
shape.[4] Pillows have been historically made of a variety of natural materials and many cultures
continue to use pillows made from natural materials in the world.
The word pillow comes from Middle English pilwe, from Old English pyle (akin to Old High
German pfuliwi) and from Latin pulvinus. The first known use of the word pillow was before the 12th
century.[5]
Though the exact origin is unknown, use of pillows evolved in animals well into prehistory, the
earliest examples including reptiles and mammals resting their heads on themselves, and one
another, to support the head and neck.[1] Animals, including humans, evolved use of inanimate
objects in their nests out of wood and stone as pillows.[1] Since domestication, many animals have
also learned to make use of human-made pillows and cushions, as well as to rest on members of
own and other species, for this purpose.[1]
Sometime between 5 and 23 million years ago tree-dwelling great apes began building sleeping
platforms, including wooden pillows, to improve their sleep.[6] According to studies on chimpanzees
that sleep up to eight to nine hours a night using specifically selected ironwood pillows, sturdy
pillows enabled great apes to escape being hunted by night predators and not fall out of the trees
while asleep.[6] It is likely that this was necessitated by the evolution of large, energy-consuming
brains.[6] Though it may also have led to longer periods of REM sleep, that in turn increased their
cognitive capacity.[6]

Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt

An ancient Egyptian wooden pillow

The earliest recorded use of the modern human device dates back to the civilizations of
Mesopotamia around 7,000 BC.[7] During this time, only the wealthy used pillows.[7] The number of
pillows symbolized status so the more pillows one owned the more affluence they held.[7] Pillows
have long been produced around the world in order to help solve the reoccurring problem of neck,
back, and shoulder pain while sleeping.[8] Besides for comfort, the pillow was also used for keeping
bugs and insects out of people's hair, mouth, nose, and ears while sleeping.[8]
Pillow use has been associated with the mummies and tombs of ancient Egypt during the 11th
dynasty, dating to 2055–1985 B.C.[9] Ancient Egyptian pillows were wooden or stone headrests.
  These pillows were mostly used by placing them under the heads of the deceased because the
[9]

head of a human was considered to be the essence of life and sacred.[9]

Ancient Europe
The Romans and Greeks of ancient Europe mastered the creation of the softer type pillow. These
pillows were stuffed with reeds, feathers, and straw in order to make them softer and more
comfortable.[10] Only upper-class people typically owned these softer pillows; however, all classes of
people were allowed to use some type of pillow while sleeping, lying down or sitting in order to give
them support.[10] People in ancient Europe started to use pillows when going to church in order to
kneel on while praying and to place holy books on.[11] This is a tradition that still lives on today. In
addition, the Romans and Greeks used their pillows by placing them under the head of those
deceased just like the ancient Egyptians did.[10]

Ancient China
A pottery pillow from the Jīn dynasty (1115–1234)

Chinese pillows were traditionally solid, though sometimes used with a softer fabric over them. Over
many Chinese dynasties, pillows were made from a wide range of materials including bamboo, jade,
porcelain, wood, and bronze.[12] Ceramic pillows became the most popular.[12] The use of the ceramic
pillow first appeared in the Sui Dynasty between 581 and 618 while mass production appeared in the
Tang Dynasty between 618 and 907.[12] The Chinese decorated their pillows by making them different
shapes and by painting pictures of animals, humans, and plants on them.[12] One common type of
pottery used was Cizhou ware. Chinese ceramic pillows reached their peak in terms of production
and use during the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties between the 10th and 14th century, but slowly
phased out during the Ming and Qing dynasties between 1368 and 1911 with the emergence of
better pillow making materials.[12]

Construction and parts