Packaging

Food packages—vessels that facilitate food transportation and trade—began early in human development as shells, gourds, and animal skins. As human societies became more complex, so did packaging. Packages transformed from purely functional to decorative objects and from vessels whose sole purpose was transportation to containers that helped preserve, protect, and increase the appeal of their contents. As the early food packages became more sophisticated, they were made of increasingly diverse materials, including pottery, wood, and cloth.