What did people do before chairs?

Have you ever heard anyone ask "How did we ever get along without computers?" It's a humorous thought, but with every new technological advance, we seem more and more reliant on the latest technology, and we "can't imagine how we ever got by without [whatever is being discussed]." As it happens, I'm writing a fictional story, in a fictional setting, meant to evoke the ancient near east, Mediterranean, and Europe. But as I write something about chairs, it strikes me: "I don't think there were chairs!" Of course, some people had chairs. But something didn't feel right.
       So I went to Wikipedia, and according to them, chairs were not common anywhere until the 16th century! My gut, once again, had steered me aright. For millennia before that, chairs were the birthright of kings. Commoners got by with.... well, what had they gotten by with? That was perplexing. In fact, I'm still in the process of sorting out how the innkeepers in the ancient world (either in the real one or in mine) might have gotten by without chairs. Have your customers sit on the floor? Maybe there was no public area in inns in those days, and you rented a room and sat on the floor there. I'm now trying to wrap my mind around whether, economically, there would have been public (pub-like) areas for people to go, have an ale, and relax with a bunch of strangers around. If you know the answer, don't tell me.
       ...At least, not until later this evening.