The origin of pile rugs woven in the Middle East and Scandinavia is explored. The possibility that these rugs were woven to duplicate the function of animal skins is especially strong for the rya rug woven in Scandinavia. The evolution of the tradition is not clear to Middle Eastern pile rugs since they were woven as early as the 5th century B.C. The impact of the trade routes on dispersing these techniques is discussed. -- AATA