The term comes from the days of
sailing ships, when a rigger was a person who worked with
rigging, that is, ropes for hoisting the sails. Sailors could put their rope skills to work in lifting and hauling. In an era before mechanical haulage and cranes, ropes, pulleys and muscle power were all that was available to move heavy objects. A specialized subset are
telecommunication riggers,
entertainment industry riggers. In time,
rigging became a trade in itself, giving rise to modern usages with some original terminology remaining, with its roots all but forgotten. ==Description==