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Silk is a natural Protein Fiber , some forms of which can be Woven into Textile s. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Cocoon s made by the Larva e of the Silkworm '' Bombyx Mori '' reared in captivity ( Sericulture ). The shimmering appearance for which silk is prized comes from the fibers' triangular Prism -like structure which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles. "Wild silks" or tussah silks (also spelled "tasar") are produced by caterpillars other than the Mulberry silkworm ('' Bombyx Mori ''). They are called "wild" as the silkworms cannot be artificially cultivated like ''Bombyx mori''. A variety of wild silks have been known and used in China , India , and Europe from early times, although the scale of production has always been far smaller than that of cultivated silks. Aside from differences in colors and textures, they all differ in one major aspect from the domesticated varieties: the cocoons that are gathered in the wild have usually already been damaged by the emerging moth before the cocoons are gathered, and thus the single thread that makes up the cocoon has been torn into shorter lengths. Commercially reared silkworm pupae are killed before the adult moths emerge by dipping them in boiling water or piercing them with a needle, thus allowing the whole cocoon to be unraveled as one continuous thread. This allows a much stronger cloth to be woven from the silk. Wild silks also tend to be more difficult to dye than silk from the cultivated silkworm. There is some evidence that small quantities of wild silk were already being produced in the Mediterranean area and the Middle East by the time the superior, and stronger, cultivated silk from China began to be imported . Silks are produced by several other insects, but only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacture. There has been some research into other silks, which have differences at the molecular level. Silks are mainly produced by the Larva e of insects with Complete Metamorphosis , but also by some adult insects such as Webspinner s. Silk production is especially common in the Hymenoptera ( Bee s, Wasp s, and Ant s), and is sometimes used in nest construction. Other types of Arthropod produce silk, most notably various Arachnid s such as Spider s (see Spider Silk ). HISTORY OF SILK See Also: History of silk China . Hand scroll, ink and colour on silk.]] Silk fabric was first developed in ancient China , possibly as early as 6000 BC and definitely by 3000 BC . Legend gives credit to a Chinese empress, Xi Ling-Shi (Hsi-Ling-Shih, Lei-Tus). Silks were originally reserved for the kings of China for their own use and gifts to others, but spread gradually through Chinese Culture both geographically and socially, and then to many regions of Asia . Silk rapidly became a popular luxury fabric in the many areas accessible to Chinese merchants because of its texture and luster. Silk was in great demand, and became a staple of pre- Industrial international Trade . In July of 2007, archeologists have discovered intricately weaved and dyed silk Textile s in a tomb of Jiangxi province that are dated to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty , roughly 2,500 years ago.1 Although historians have suspected a long history of a formative textile industry in ancient China, this find of silk textiles employing "complicated techniques" of weaving and dyeing provides direct and concrete evidence for silks dating before the Mawangdui -discovery and other silks dating to the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 CE). The first evidence of the silk trade is the finding of silk in the hair of an n subcontinent, the Middle East , Europe , and North Africa . This trade was so extensive that the major set of trade routes between Europe and Asia has become known as the Silk Road . The the practice had been established in India. Thailand Silk is produced in Thailand 's favorable climate by two types of silkworms, the cultured Bombycidae and wild Saturniidae, all the year round, mostly after the rice harvest by villagers from the central and northeast parts of the country. Women traditionally weave silk on hand looms, and pass the skill on to their daughters as weaving is considered to be a sign of maturity and eligibility for marriage. Thai silk textiles often use complicated patterns in various colors and styles. Most regions of Thailand have their own typical silks, of which Mud-Mee, Tin Chok and Phrae Wa are among the best. India and Nepal Silk, known as ''Pattu'' or ''Reshmi'' in southern parts of '', the three-piece silk Sari s woven with traditional motifs. ''Mysore Silk Sarees'', which are known for their soft texture and expensive class last easily as long as 25 to 30 years, if maintained well. Mediterranean world casanatensis (XIV century)]] In the Odyssey , 19.233, it is mentioned that Odysseus wore a shirt "gleaming like the skin of an onion" (varies with translations, literal translation requested). Some researchers proposed that the shirt was made of silk. |
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