Generally, carpets are used to make spaces more beautiful and to make walking on the floor quieter. Carpets are warmer and softer than hard floors such as hardwood, tile, or concrete. Carpets may be many different sizes. Rugs and carpets originated in Central Asia, but the idea of machine manufacture was invented in Europe. The oldest known carpet was found in the year of 1947 at excavations in Siberia. So there are two different kinds of things: one is hand-made by traditional methods, and the other woven by machine. This accounts for the very great difference in style and price between traditional rugs and modern wall-to-wall carpeting.