jan 1, 5000 BC - The Start of Cotton Cultivation in India

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Cotton and string have always been important to us and civilizations over the years, but have you ever wondered how we first got it? Cotton was first domesticated by Ancient Indian farmers, but before that people grow fiber plants (or raise fiber producing animals) alongside their food crops and spend much of their time spinning, weaving, and sewing their own textiles for everyday use or trade. Textiles were often sought after by many for their beauty and uniqueness, thus why we got the Silk Road. However, thousands of years ago, four separate species of cotton were domesticated by four different cultures in four different places in the world: Central America; the Andes; Arabia and Syria; and the Indus Valley. Cotton was a valuable thing, it was easy to make and weave clothes out of, lightweight, and breathable. So, Indian farmers domesticated cotton and developed the technology to weave it at least seven thousand years ago— cotton thread dating from 5,000 BCE was found in modern Pakistan, in Mehrgarh.

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