Linen Tablecloths - The History of Cotton

The History of Cotton

Cotton is an extremely old material that is known to have been spun and woven by mankind into clothing and other products for many thousands of years.

The true origins of the cotton manufacturing process will probably never be known. There are certain areas of the world where scientists have discovered cotton fragments which give us accurate dates and an understanding of the types and quality of cotton being produced.

The Nile Valley of Egypt is a well known area for cotton growing. The climate in the Nile valley means that cotton plants produce longer, stronger and softer strands of cotton. This has led to cotton yarn and material of very high quality being manufactured. Fragments of Egyptian cotton clothing have been found dating to 3000 BC showing that the Egyptians have manufactured and used cotton for at least 5000 years.

In Pakistan, along the Indus river valley, the remains of cotton clothing dating to a similar time of around 3000 BC have also been discovered. There have also been a number of earlier finds in Latin America with pieces of cotton clothing being dated to around 7000 BC.

By the 1500s the establishment of trade routes and communication throughout the known world had led to cotton being sought after and traded. Cotton was being purchased from the growing regions, transported and sold to manufacturers who were spinning yarn and weaving cotton into sheets. In the 1700s the industrial revolution had started in England where the first machines were used for spinning and weaving cotton on an industrial scale. The mass production of cotton brought prices down and the increased supply meant that cotton became more widely available. This trend continues to this day and due to this cotton is more affordable and widely available than ever before.