Glue today is an indispensable element in several essential industries. Not only is glue important in modern times; it has a long history dating back to ancient times! In fact, people have used different types of glue for thousands of years.
Glue in prehistoric times
For example, prehistoric hunters used natural glue to attach stone arrowheads or axe stones to wood. An interesting example of this is Ötzi. Ötzi is the 5,200-year-old man who lay in a glacier near the border between Austria and Italy. Several possessions had been found with him, including two flint arrowheads and a copper axe. These weapons all had traces of organic glue. The organic glue was used to connect the stone or metal parts to the wooden shafts and was identified as pitch. Pitch is created by heating tar. This process is known as pyrolysis.
Plant-based single-component adhesives, despite their stickiness, can become brittle and fragile due to environmental influences. Accordingly, the discovery of the first use of compound glues was 70,000 years ago in Sibudu, South Africa. Here, stone segments that had once been inserted into axes were found covered with a clay substance consisting of red ochre (natural iron oxide) and plant gum. In fact, ochre creates a stronger product. In addition, ochre protects the gum from disintegrating under wet conditions.
The first written mention
In ancient Egypt, they also used plant resin to bond objects together. In fact, the first written mention of glue was found here! One of the oldest examples are hieroglyphics showing a coffin of Pharaoh Tutankhamun which was glued together using a compound made from animals.
Further development of glue
Glue has been used extensively in Europe in the past during important periods such as ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.The ancient Greeks and Romans made significant contributions to the advancement of glue production.During Roman times, fish glue was often used, made from the swim bladders of fish.This was a crucial step in the history of glue and contributed to the further development of glue technology over the years. Craftsmen in the Middle Ages, in turn, discovered that they could make animal glue by boiling bones and hides.
From the period after 1500-1700, glue began to be widely used in Europe.The first commercial glue factory was established in 1690 in Delft, the Netherlands.This factory produced glue from animal skins. During this period up to the 1900s, the use and discovery of glue gradually increased. The first British glue patent was granted in 1750 for fish glue and the U.S. patent in 1876 (number 183,024) to the Ross brothers for the production of casein glue.
The development of synthetic adhesives took off in the 20th century, and innovation in this field is still in full swing. The first half of the 20th century was the most eventful time in the history of adhesives. A host of scientists and chemists invented new types of synthetic adhesives during this period.For example, the first synthetic resin adhesive was introduced in 1932, followed by clear rubber adhesive in 1940 and the well-known Pattex from 1956.
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