Silk

 

Silk was discovered accidentally by a female royal drinking tea in China about 3 millennials BC. This is a myth, however, it is said that a silkworm fell into her tea cup and in a bid to pick out the creature, she saw silk fibers unraveling from the cocoon.

So, sericulture - the whole process of raising silkworms on mulberry trees and processing the fabric became popular and restricted to China for thousands of years.

Silk became a major export luxury good demanded in the ancient world and was effectively monopolized through the Silk Road. In the early centuries AD, sericulture finally spread to Japan, Byzantine empire and subsequently Europe.

A special character of silk is absorption of dye. Due to its structural format it can absorb more than other fabrics bringing out hues in their intensity. 

Aside clothing, ancient silk was also used to make paper. Silk repels fire, when burnt it curls away and extinguish by itself.

Presently, other fabrics have reduced the demand for silk but it’s still a luxury good and China is the highest producer.