Linen

This article is about the textile. For other uses, see Linen (disambiguation).
A linen handkerchief with drawn thread work around the edges
Linen cloth recovered from Qumran Cave 1 near the Dead Sea
Flax stem, fiber, yarn and woven and knitted linen textiles

Linen (/ˈlɪnən/) is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.

Linen is very strong and absorbent and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Linen textiles can be made from flax plant fiber, yarn, as well as woven and knitted. Linen also has other distinctive characteristics, such as its tendency to wrinkle. It's also hypoallergenic which makes it a better material for people with allergies or chemical sensitivities.[1] It takes significantly longer to harvest than a material like cotton although both are natural fibers. It is also more difficult to weave than cotton.[2]

Linen textiles appear to be some of the oldest in the world; their history goes back many thousands of years. Dyed flax fibers found in a cave in Southeastern Europe (present-day Georgia) suggest the use of woven linen fabrics from wild flax may date back over 30,000 years.[3] Linen was used in ancient civilizations including Mesopotamia[4] and ancient Egypt, and linen is mentioned in the Bible. In the 18th century and beyond, the linen industry was important in the economies of several countries in Europe as well as the American colonies.

Textiles in a linen weave texture, even when made of cotton, hemp, or other non-flax fibers, are also loosely referred to as "linen".

  1. ^ "Profiles of 15 of the world's major plant and animal fibres". International Year of Natural Fibres 2009. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. ^ "What Is Cotton and What Is Linen? Cotton vs. Linen Fabrics". MasterClass. 2021-08-12.
  3. ^ Kvavadze, Eliso; Bar-Yosef, Ofer; Belfer-Cohen, Anna; Boaretto, Elisabetta; Jakeli, Nino; Matskevich, Zinovi; Meshveliani, Tengiz (2009-09-11). "30,000-Year-Old Wild Flax Fibers". Science. 325 (5946): 1359. Bibcode:2009Sci...325.1359K. doi:10.1126/science.1175404. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 19745144. S2CID 206520793.
  4. ^ McCorriston, Joy (1997). "Textile Extensification, Alienation, and Social Stratification in Ancient Mesopotamia". Current Anthropology. 38 (4): 517–535. doi:10.1086/204643. JSTOR 10.1086/204643. S2CID 154123464.