Question

Uses of synthetic and natural fibres before and after independence

Answer 1

The use of natural fibres for textile materials began before recorded history. The oldest indication of fibre use is probably the discovery of flaxand wool fabrics at excavation sites of the Swiss lake dwellers (7th and 6th centuries BCE). Several vegetable fibres were also used by prehistoric peoples. Hemp, presumably the oldest cultivated fibre plant, originated in Southeast Asia, then spread to China, where reports of cultivation date to 4500 BCE. The art of weaving and spinning linen was already well developed in Egypt by 3400 BCE, indicating that flax was cultivated sometime before that date. Reports of the spinning of cotton in India date back to 3000 BCE. The manufacture of silk and silk products originated in the highly developed Chinese culture; the invention and development of sericulture (cultivation of silkworms for raw-silk production) and of methods to spin silk date from 2640 BCE.