When did humans start dyeing cloth

At the same time as humans invented textiles, they also developed dyeing techniques, which can be traced back to ancient times. China is the first country to have textiles and develop dyeing technology. According to the "History of Chinese Dyeing and Weaving", the cave people in Zhoukoudian, Beijing, began to use red iron oxide mineral pigments to make clothes with bone needles as early as 10,000 years ago.

Painting the cave where they live is a sign that prehistoric humans knew how to use paint.

Cultural relics unearthed from Hami, Xinjiang, China, have been woven plain and twill weave color plaid cloth and embroidery before 1260-960 A.D., which shows that there were dyes at that time. From the original painting to the later dip dyeing, mordant dyeing, over-dyeing and so on. In the Neolithic elbow generation, people already knew how to use mineral pigments such as ochre, realgar, cinnabar, and huangdan to color fabrics.

At the same time, plant-derived dyes are also used. After long-term application and improvement, we have gradually mastered the extraction and dyeing technology of extracting various plant dyes, and added color to the original textiles.

From 1000 BC to 771 BC (about 3000 years ago), the Zhou Dynasty already had a "dyeing" official in charge of dyeing, also known as the "official of dyeing grass", who was responsible for dyeing affairs and implemented a professional division of labor system for textiles. It can be seen that in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty 2,500 years ago, China had mastered the technology of using vegetable dyes to dye textiles. The colorful and good printed silk fabrics unearthed from the ancient tomb of the Western Han Dynasty in Mawangdui, Changsha, show that China has known how to apply printing technology 2,000 years ago.

This printed and dyed pattern pattern of the flower cloth, elegant and simple, brilliant colors, admirable. In the Qin Dynasty, there was a "Dyeing Division". From the Han Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty, each generation has a "Department of Dyeing".

1. Dip dyeing. A dyeing method in which textiles are immersed in a dye solution, and the dye is dyed on the fibers for a certain period of time and fixed in the fibers.

Features: suitable for dyeing various forms of textiles; Batch production, low production efficiency; The equipment is relatively simple and easy to operate.

2. Pad dyeing. Pad dyeing is to make the textile fabric in the dyeing solution after a short impregnation, then with a roll to press, the dye liquid is squeezed into the tissue void of the fabric, and the excess dye is removed, so that the dye is evenly distributed on the fabric, the dye dyeing is (or mainly) in the subsequent steaming or baking and other processing processes are completed.

The tie-dyeing process is divided into two parts: tying and dyeing. It is dyed through the combination of yarn, thread, rope and other tools to tie, sew, bind, decorate and clip the fabric.

Its process is characterized by a printing and dyeing technology that uses thread to twist into knots in the fabric to be printed and dyed, and then dismantles the thread twisted into knots. It has more than 100 variations, each with its own characteristics.

For example, the "roll on the twist", the color is rich, the changes are natural, and the fun is endless. What is even more surprising is that even if there are thousands of flowers, they do not appear the same after dyeing. This unique artistic effect is difficult to achieve by mechanical printing and dyeing process.

According to anthropologists' speculation (and there is not enough evidence to confirm it), it started with mud staining and charcoal ash. When people were still wearing animal skins, they moved around the river and got on the mud in the river. The minerals in the mud are attached to the hides and are not easy to fade; The color of the mud is different, and the color of the dyeing is also different.

In addition, charcoal dyeing is the best dye for the black charcoal left over after cooking. Although the fastness of these dyes is not very high, they will fall off when patted; However, it is easy to take the material, as long as it is painted again. At this time, the concept of dyeing was not yet mature, and it only stayed at a limited degree of dyeing; In other words, dyeing in a broad sense is a cumulative coloring method that includes smearing.

These dyes are mineral or animal-based, and most of them are made from plant-based dyes.

China's dyeing technology began to have relatively complete facilities in the Western Zhou Dynasty. During the regency of Zhou Gongdan, there were six officials in the ** institution, including heavenly officials, local officials, spring officials, summer officials, autumn officials, and winter officials. Under the Heavenly Officials, there is a position of dyeing, which is specifically responsible for dyeing; In addition, there is a special department in charge of the collection of dyeing materials under the local officials.

For example, in the Zhou Li, it is recorded that the official positions of the palm dyeing grass and the dyeing person responsible for dyeing silk and silk are recorded in the Zhou ceremony, which influenced the Qin Dynasty to also have the official position of the Dyeing Department, and the subsequent dynasties also set up the Dyeing Department, and the Tang Dynasty also had the Dyeing Institute, and there was also the post of Dyeing Man in the Dyeing Institute. In the recent Qing Dynasty, there was a blue indigo office

The Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC) or the Spring and Autumn Period, referred to as the Spring and Autumn Period. A period in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the power of the King of Zhou weakened, and the heroes were in dispute, and the Duke of Qi Huan, the Duke of Wen of Jin, the Duke of Xiang of Song, the Duke of Qin Mu, and the King of Chu Zhuang successively claimed hegemony, known as the "Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period" in history.

One said that it was the Duke of Qi Huan, the Duke of Wen of Jin, the King of Chu Zhuang, the King of Wu and the King of Yue, Goujian). The Spring and Autumn period was followed by the Warring States period.

The name of the Spring and Autumn period was given by Confucius's revision of the Spring and Autumn Period. This book records the history from the first year of Lu Yin (722 BC) to the fourteenth year of Lu Ai (481 BC). For the sake of convenience, modern scholars generally start from the founding of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in the first year of King Ping of Zhou (770 BC) to the forty-fourth year of King Jing of Zhou (476 BC), which is called the "Spring and Autumn Period".

The Warring States Period (475 BC 221 BC), or the Warring States Period, referred to as the Warring States Period, was a historical period in history that belonged to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty before the Qin unified China. There are different controversies among historians about when the Warring States period began. Historical records determine that the beginning of the Warring States period was in 475 BC (the first year of King Yuan of Zhou), and the beginning of Zizhitong's identification of the Warring States period was in 403 BC (Han, Zhao, and Wei were divided into three families).

The end of the Warring States period was the unification of China by Qin (221 BC). The name of the Warring States period comes from the Western Han Dynasty Liu Xiang's "Warring States Policy".