Ladder
vertical set of rungs or steps for climbing or descending
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps commonly used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and flexible ladders, such as those made of rope or wire rope, that may be hung from the top.
The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called "stringers" or "rails" (US) or "stiles" (UK). Rigid ladders are usually portable, but some types are permanently fixed to a structure, building, or equipment. They are commonly made of metal, wood, fiberglass, or tough plastic.
Historical usages
Ladders are ancient tools and technology. A ladder is featured in a Mesolithic rock painting that is depicted in the Spider Caves in Valencia, Spain. The painting depicts a human using a ladder to harvest honey. The ladder is long and flexible, possibly made of some sort of grass. There are also numerous other such examples in Spain.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q168639. The Library of Congress control number is sh85073884. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ladder” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.