The Thread of History. How the Spinning Wheel, Spindle, and Loom Helped Build Civilization

«The Thread of History» — a detailed account of the most influential commodity in human history.
The history of humanity is the history of textiles, a peer of civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, our insatiable need for fabrics has propelled technology, economy, politics, and culture forward.
Virginia Postrel unveils this remarkable narrative, bringing together findings from the latest research in archaeology, economic history, and the natural sciences. From the Minoans exporting wool dyed with precious purple to Egypt, to the Romans dressed in expensive Chinese silk, the trade of textiles paved transcontinental highways of the Ancient World.
Without revenues from textiles, neither the Renaissance nor the empire of the Great Mughals would have been possible; only because of it did we receive banks and accounting, Michelangelo's «David» and the Taj Mahal.

Along with fabrics, the alphabet and arithmetic spread around the world, and later the textile industry stimulated crucial chemical discoveries and taught people to use binary code.