When sailors began using hammocks at sea

When did hammocks begin to be used aboard ships?

The exact date is uncertain, but swinging cloth beds appear to have emerged in warm-water Mediterranean and Indian Ocean practice before Columbus.

An exact starting date for shipboard hammocks remains uncertain. The suggested early setting is warm-water sailing, particularly Mediterranean galleys and Indian Ocean dhows, possibly in the early medieval period. Cloth, cord, a hook, or a wooden notch leave little distinctive archaeological evidence, and shore-based records rarely describe ordinary sailors' beds. Columbus-era references are mentioned, but earlier use is suspected. Professional sailors and junior leaders offer a possible social explanation: they could want a bed without having the money or space available to wealthy merchants and captains. Venetian galley specialists are among the examples used to develop that interpretation.