For many centuries, rope has been one of civilization’s most important technical aids. Hieroglyphs in the Egyptian pyramids, for example, record how ropes were used to help build the monuments. And ropes have also played a key role in many areas of working life, including fishing, domesticating animals, agriculture, mining, and, of course, shipping. Rope making was therefore an important factor in many economies, particularly seaports, where the reeper, as the rope makers were known in Germany, were held in great esteem and enjoyed a certain prosperity.

For centuries, the rope maker’s raw material of choice was hemp. With its long fibers, hemp has a higher tensile strength than many other materials, and it remains resistant to rotting much longer when exposed to water. Yet hemp can vary substantially in quality. Even in the Middle Ages, quality standards were high among German rope makers. Whereas those working away from the coast were able to produce ropes for agriculture and other trades from cheaper, locally grown materials, rope makers in German seaports were dependent on high-quality imported hemp from areas including Russia and the Baltic region.