Rope gauge in boxwood with brass slider and ends, made by John Rabone and Sons of Birmingham, the sliding scale gives the rope circumference, and a table gives weight per fathom, engraved with the company name 'Jos. Claessens Fils. / Cordages & Toiles / Anvers' 19th Century

Three pieces of rope, proabbly made of papyrus fibres: Ancient Egyptian, c.2055-1069 BC

Coil of braided rope worn as a belt to hold a waist mat in place: Micronesian, Marshall Islands

Rope of plaited coconut fibre: Pacific Peoples, probably from Fiji

Rope of plaited coconut fibre: Pacific Peoples, possibly from Fiji

Circle of fibre rope with a net of bark fibre attached, used for fishing and securing boats: Southern Africa, Botswana, Lake Ngami area

Model of a machine for making rope, to a scale of 4 inches to 1 foot: Asia, South Asia, India, Bihar, Patna, 1815 - 1821

Model of a machine for twisting single threads of sirkee grass leaves into rope, to a scale of 3 inches to 1 foot: Asia, South Asia, India, Bihar, Patna or Tirhut, 1815 - 1821

Plaited rope or belt (kafa) to be worn around the waist to fasten a waist mat, Oceania, Polynesia, Tonga, Tongatapu, Fasi, by Lata Lātū, c. 2017