History and Origins of Bags.

Nowadays they are the essential accessory to complete any look but the truth is that they have not always existed in the same way. In this article we do a complete review of the history of bags. we tell you when and how they appeared and how they have evolved over time until they reach the present day.

The origins of bags:

Although it is impossible to establish exactly the exact moment in which the first bags appeared, it is worth noting that it is believed that although in very different formats and, above all, with very different uses, these types of bags for transporting things have already existed almost since the first samples of the existence of humans in the world.

In the petroglyphs of ancient towns that existed many years ago, you can already see some figures carrying a kind of hanging bag, which is spectacularly surprising, although obviously its use would be quite different since the human beings of that time were nomadic and therefore They needed some space to carry their things and that is why they could use this type of predecessors of today’s bags.

Bags from Greece to Rome:

Already in the times of the ancient Greeks there is evidence of bags in which they kept the signature seals and even the first coins in knotted-neck bags. In addition, the Greeks also used travel bags called bursa and kept their toiletries in a kind of bag. Women also carried brightly colored bags under their tunics and in different funerary monuments you can see how people carried handbags.

Regarding the history of the bag in ancient Rome, it is worth noting how children, men and women carried their things in bursas. While the poor used old fabrics or scraps of cloth, the rich carried higher quality bags and they were undoubtedly necessary because pockets did not exist then. First leather bags and then cloth bags were used to store necessary objects such as keys, coins or combs. They were usually hung on a belt or a necklace.

Bags in the middle Ages:

In the middle Ages, new leather bags appeared that were transformed to become longer and narrower. Most models from this time were made with deer or pig skins for the people in the towns while the most powerful people used bags embroidered in fabric. They were normally closed with laces and also hung from the waist. Handbags and bags of different qualities were normally used as gifts at this time.

Furthermore, in the middle Ages there is evidence of silk bags and famous reliquary bags with various decorations such as Cyprus gold or silver bells that were used as alarms. At this time, men and women carried bags because they were really practical and necessary items, although in some cases for the upper classes it was also simply fashionable because some of these bags could be considered true works of art.

The arrival of ornaments in the 16th and 17th centuries:

Likewise, the years continued to pass and towards the 16th and 17th centuries the bags returned full of many decorations. For the nobles, these types of bags were given as gifts among friends or as a gift of gallantry. They were also used to pay debts and favors, always accompanied by some coins. This type of bag is back in fashion.

Bags in the 18th and 19th centuries:

In these centuries, new models of bags appeared, among which the satchel style bags stood out above all. There were models made with the most different materials ranging from leather to silk and were used by both men and women, normally to carry different documents.

It is in these years when the bag stops being something eminently practical and also begins to be part of fashion within the field of clothing and clothing. Handbags began to be highly valued and some women even left them as an inheritance to their loved ones.

In these times, bags were mainly used to carry all types of personal items, although not yet to carry money. For this last purpose, other types of different bags were used that would eventually end up becoming wallets or wallets as we call them and use them today.

Bags from the 20th century to the present:

Starting in the 20th century, bags are definitely considered an accessory and it is considered essential that they combine with dresses, clothes and shoes. In the forties and fifties they became a basic fashion element because it was considered that they provided a lot of elegance to all the women who knew how to wear them and combine them.

Since that moment, and although in the sixties it dropped a lot because backpacks and jackets emerged, it continues to be a fashion element that never stops changing and adapting to new times, fashions and trends, having become an essential accessory for many women and men. Increasingly also for some men.