Packaging’s role in society

Abstract

The first forms of packaging were made from leaves, animal skins, bamboo, reeds, wicker and gourds and used by ancient hunter-gatherer communities. As European agriculture developed and the Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek and Roman civilisations progressively began trading food and perfumes, then pottery, glass, metal, leather and wood became fashioned and shaped into amphora, bottles, pots, bags, baskets and barrels and became widely used as packaging. Often the containers were decorated to identify their contents.