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Every civilization turned a thread into an empire.

Seven textiles — cloth was never just cloth, from state secrets to banned tartans.

Cover — every civilization turned a thread into an empire.
Silk — China's 2,000-year state secret
Cotton — India, called "woven wind" by Rome
Alpaca textiles — the Andes
Kente cloth — West Africa, woven with coded proverbs
Batik — wax-resist textile art
Tartan — once banned by the British Crown
Ikat — resist-dyed weaving
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China kept silk a state secret for 2,000 years — on pain of death. Kente cloth speaks in coded proverbs. Tartan was BANNED by the British Crown. Rome called Indian cotton "woven wind". Cloth was never just cloth.