It’s hard to accurately know exactly the time when humans started utilizing wool, however, historians point out that around 11000 – 8000 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, humans started rearing sheep, not just as a source of nourishment but also for their hair and fur as a source of protection. These fibers were, subsequently were weaved for clothing and were highly valued due to their versatility and adaptability.
However, the wool obtained from those primitive sheep was quite different from what we classify as wool today. Over millenniums, with selective breeding, humans reared sheep’s which produce larger volumes of high-quality wool. Nowadays, the classification of wool is not just limited to sheep fibers but can include fibers from other animals as well, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, hide and fur clothing from bison, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camels.
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