Winter special: Brief history of wool

We associate wool with sheep, but this familiar fibre actually comes from other animals too. Wool from goats is called cashmere and mohair, from muskoxen is qiviut and rabbit wool is angora. Wool is a winter favourite because it’s easy to spin, and its bulky nature makes it retain air and body warmth, keeping the wearer cosy. How did we start using it? 

When did we first use wool? 
Humans discovered the utility value of sheep wool somewhere between 9000BC and 7000BC, and started domesticating the animals. At that time, sheep were still evolving, and they were more hairy than woolly. But our wise ancestors started breeding them to make them more fluffy.  The first woven wool garments can be dated between 400BC to 300BC. Sheep and woollen garments were popular in Russia and Mongolia at that time, from where they came to Europe.  

How did humans start cutting wool? 
To begin with, people plucked wool with bare hands, and then with bronze combs. Wool cutting shears were an Iron Age invention. In Roman times, the finest wool was grown at Tarentum, a coastal city in current Puglia, Southern Italy.  

How did the wool trade grow? 
In the medieval age, wool trade became a serious business. Entire fairs, like one at France’s Champagne region, cropped up around wool trading and the economy of whole regions became dependant on it. England emerged as top exporter. Wool trade got so important that special tax laws on wool export were formulated. The presiding officer of the House of Lords, someone like our parliament Speaker, sat on the Woolsack, a chair stuffed with wool, as a symbol of the importance of wool trade. In Italy, wealthy nobles of Florence built their textile empire based on woollen garments. In the 16th century, Spain started the export of Merino lambs, a breed of highly valued for the type of wool. The German wool market slowly rose till it overtook British wool. But the Germans were defeated in the wool export race by Australian colonialists who excelled at sheep breeding.   

When did we get synthetic wool? 
Superwash wool (or washable wool), was a 1970’s invention. Research in this regard is going on. Washing the wool in acid and coating it in polymer are developments towards a lighter, more washable wool.