Silk - the most mysterious and beautiful fabric on the planet. Everything about this material is extraordinary without exception: the history of discovery, manufacturing method and methods of use.
Everyone knows about silk underwear, shirts, and sheets - this is the most popular industry for using this raw material. However, few people think about other possibilities for its use. And this is a very interesting and multifunctional material.
Excursion into history
Ancient China is considered the birthplace of fabric. The first archaeological discovery of silkworm cocoons was discovered 5–3 thousand years BC. in Shanxi province. Separate sources date this event to different years, but there is no doubt that silk was first discovered in China.
For a long time in Asian countries, and then in other parts of the world, this fabric was the most expensive currency. It was not for nothing that there was a seaworthy and land-based “Silk Road”, which for a long time supported the existence of several powers.
The emergence of silk
There are many legends and beliefs.The appearance and production of this fabric was kept in the strictest confidence, and disclosure was punishable by death.
There is a legend that it began to be produced in China thanks to Lez Tzu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor, who brought silkworms to the country, taught the residents to breed them and extract this fabric.
Making sails
When silk became a more common material, it began to be used not only for the robes of nobles, but also for practical purposes: in shipbuilding, medicine, and the art of war.
Silk was well suited for making sails. This is a thin fabric that was easily inflated by the wind and kept its shape. Sometimes such sails were covered with oil varnish, and then two or three layers of enamel on top to obtain a smooth, waterproof surface.
Protection for warriors
At a time when cloth protection for warriors was common. Armor from silks were considered the most durable and expensive.
This is interesting! Recent studies have shown that 16 layers of silk fabric can protect against a .357 Magnum bullet (with a lead core).
Such protection could protect a warrior from being hit by a katana, and later from a bullet. In addition, several silk robes did not restrict movement and had virtually no weight. Later, silk protection was replaced by metal armor.
Surgical threads
The first mention of the existence of medical suture material was discovered 2 thousand years BC. e. in Chinese treatises. However, the official use of silk for medical threads dates back to 1050 AD.
This material is durable and thin, which has made it relevant for use in medicine to this day.
Other purpose
In ancient times, silk was of great value - it was even used as currency.They also brought them as gifts, as ransom and dowry. Despite this, it was quite widespread: various historical documents record its use as a fishing line for bits and in the manufacture of strings.
The existence of books made of silk is also recorded: in the Far East in ancient times it was used as a material for writing.
What is silk used for besides clothing nowadays?
In the modern world, armor is not needed, and a more suitable material has been invented for sailing boats. So what is the application in modern times?
Currently, the fabric is used in the production of jewelry, accessories, and bed linen. It is also used in art to create paintings, which are very expensive.
Silk thread is still used in sewing (for finishing materials, in making toys, etc.). Also widely used in medicine (for dental floss, sewing surgical material).
Silk is a very common material both in ancient times and in the present century. Its history goes back many millennia and is surrounded by mysterious legends.
At this stage of development silk production has not ceased to exist. The material has found multifunctional applications: it is used in many industries, as well as in everyday human life.
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