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This reminds me of the stone “pillows” Egyptians and Mesopotamian cultures used. https://www.ancientpages.com/2018/06/18/why-did-ancient-egyptians-use-pillows-

• masklinn 5y ago
  There’s also the japanese takamakura (?), it’s not usually considered very comfortable though the padding would help a bit. Do note that in modern terms takamakuras at least are neck braces, they don’t support the head itself. This is coherent with the complex and tight hairstyles of the time which would be impossible to do on your own, and difficult to redo every day even for nobility. So keeping hairdos protected would be important, something a soft western pillow would not achieve easily.
• pope_meat 5y ago
  I don't know about the Egyptian pillows, but in Chinese art it seems like there was another thin layer on top, I presume something soft, and it just hasn't survived after 1000 years, unlike the ceramic base.
  • powerapple 5y ago
    old people use hard pillows, and hard bed. My parents still prefer hard mattress, a soft mattress will hurt their back the next morning. Their pillows are filled with seeds. But my grandparents in rural area in old days, use a hardwood pillow. It is something they are used to I guess. I don't think hard pillows are comfortable, but we humans can get used to anything. I cannot imagine to live without hot showers, but people having been living for thousands of years without hot showers.