Cotton fabric, ancient

Leather (qv) has been employed for many uses since ancient time on account of the convertibiUty of an easily decomposed substance into one which resists putrefaction. Leather is stUl an important material with its unique stmcture it is so dense in texture that it resists wind and water while retaining breathabihty and flexibiUty, which makes the resulting goods comfortable. Early attempts to imitate leather included appHcation of oil, mbber, or soluble cotton onto paper or fabrics. However, very Htde progress had been made until the era of synthetic resins began in the twentieth century. 

Seed fibres from cotton and stem fibres from flax were probably the first to be commonly woven into textiles. Linen (from flax) was the every-day fabric of ancient Egypt, and the plant was the first cultivated source of textile fibres in Europe. While cotton only became popular in Europe a few centuries ago, its... 

Caulking of the ark with pitch is described in Genesis 6.14. Linen fabric, at least 7000 years old has been unearthed near Robenshausen, Switzerland. Wool fabric was used in Mesopotamia as early as 4000 B.C., cotton was woven by the ancient Eg5rptians and Sericulture was practiced in China as early as 2500 B.C. 

Some of the earliest known apphcations of fibers date back to the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations. Papyrus was formed from the fibers of the papyrus reed. Linen fabrics were woven from flax fibers. Cotton fibers were used to make sail fiibric. Ancient China produced the first paper from cellulose fiber and perfected the use of silk fiber. 

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