 Trumpets are depicted in ancient Egyptian drawings dating back to almost 1500 BC. Early trumpets were made of everything from elephant tusks and human thigh bones to pottery and glass. The little cornetti of the Renaissance in Europe were usually made from leather-covered wood. Trumpets have historically been used in military settings, like in battles - sometimes with kettledrums - and for signals and fanfares. This is partly because they tended to make a loud sound that carried a long way. But during the 1600s, the trumpet began to be accepted more into "art music" and trumpeters developed a softer playing style for use in indoor settings. During the Baroque Era, trumpeters were real "stars," very highly paid for their virtuosic playing. They formed guilds that regulated their training and limited the number of people who could play the trumpet. Bach, Handel, and English composer Henry Purcell all wrote splendid music for famous trumpet players of their day. 
These 18th-century trumpeters had no valves on their instruments. They made different pitches by control of their lips and breath. Later in the century, trumpet builders began experimenting with keys, making it easier to play different notes. Finally, in the 1820s, French and German players began using valve trumpets, which gave the trumpet player much more freedom.
Orchestra trumpets in Europe often are designed with rotary valves, like horns. These rotary-valve trumpets have a slightly rounder, more horn-like sound than American trumpets, which are built with piston valves and have a brighter, edgier sound. The distinctive sound of the rotary-valve trumpets can be heard on recordings of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic, among other orchestras.
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