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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Linen
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1992-09-03
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15 lines
Cloth woven from the spun fibres of the flax
plant. The stems of the plant are soaked and
crushed to separate the long, tough fibres.
They are then spun to produce linen thread
that can be woven into textiles ranging from
sailcloth, canvas, and sacking to cambric,
lawn, and lace. Used by the ancient
Egyptians, linen was introduced by the Romans
to northern Europe, where production became
widespread. Religious refugees from the Low
Countries in the 16th century helped to
establish the linen industry in England, but
here and elsewhere it began to decline in
competition with cotton in the 18th century.