History Of Linen Fibre

By Author: Dips Dixon
Total Articles: 71
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History shows that man regarded linen fabric as holy and divine. In bible we find many references to linen like–
• "Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened." (24:12)
• “And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons, / And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen, / And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.”
It won’t be wrong to say that the fabric enjoys a position not many other fabrics have been able to achieve. It may be because of the unique traits of linen – UV protective, anti-bacterial, high moisture absorption capability, anti-bacterial et al. It has thermo regulating properties. It can be worn in any kind of weather such as hot, humid and even winters. It’s also a natural fabric woven from the flax fiber which can be the reason behind some of the amazing traits found in linen.
For the uninitiated ones, ...
... flax is an annual plant growing to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) tall, with slender stems. The botanical name of the flax plant is Linum usitatissimum. The word “linen” is associated with the Latin word for the flax plant which is linum. The term flax is also often used to refer to the unspun fibers of the flax plant. The flax fiber isn’t something that’s discovered in the recent times. In fact flax fibers are one of the oldest fiber crops in the world and it’s been used to make linen since the ancient Egyptian times. Flax fiber was used in manufacturing of cloth in northern Europe during Neolithic times.
In the ancient days, people used linen to make lightweight outfits like undergarments for example - waistshirts, chemises, lingerie etc.
Let’s take a deeper look into the history of linen fiber – flax here! Dyed flax fibers were found in a cave in Dzudzuana (prehistoric Georgia) that must be at least 30,000 years old. Pictures on tombs and temple walls at Thebes depict flowering flax plants. In North America, flax was introduced by the Puritans.
Besides used in weaving fabrics, various parts of the flax plant are used in making dye, paper, medicines, fishing nets, hair gels, and soap.