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Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is as soft and flexible as cotton or flax, yet displays many beneficial properties that make it attractive to use – it is fire resistant, resistant to chemical degradation, has high tensile strength, has good thermal and electrical insulating properties, has good frictional properties, and is relatively easy to manipulate and use. Asbestos' unique combination of properties makes it an extremely useful material that has been used by many cultures in similar applications.
The use of asbestos dates back more that 3,000 years where evidence of asbestos use in pottery and insulation, in the form of chinking, of log homes were found in archeological excavations in the area that is now Finland. The Ancient Egyptians also used asbestos to improve durability in their clothes. Asbestos was also used to embalm the pharaohs. The Ancient Persian civilization imported asbestos from India for wrapping their dead. They believed asbestos to be hair from a small mythical animal that lived by fire and died by water.
The Ancient Greek civilization noticed asbestos about 2,000 years ago. Asbestos was woven into the clothing worn by imported slaves. After realizing its flame-resistant properties, the Greeks coined the term "asbestos", meaning inextinguishable (Greek a-, "not"; sbestos, "extinguishable"), in recognition of this seemingly magical characteristic. Strabo, a Greek geographer of the first century, identified what was believed to be the first asbestos quarry on the Greek island of Evvoia. The Greeks used asbestos for the wicks of the eternal flames of the vestal virgins, as the funeral dress for the cremation of kings, and as napkins. The name of chrysotile, the most common form of asbestos, is derived from the Greek words "chrysos" (gold) and "tilos" (fiber) or "gold fiber". The Greeks were the first to also recognize asbestos' harmful biological effects. Greek geographer, Strabo, noted that many slaves who wore the asbestos suffered from some sickness in the lungs.
The Ancient Roman civilization, like the Greek civilization, used asbestos for its flame-retardant and insulation properties. The Romans wove asbestos fibers into fabrics to make towels, nets and even head coverings for women. It was also used in building materials. Roman restaurants used tablecloths and napkins made of asbestos. These materials were flame retardant and could be thrown into the fire to remove food and other debris, and placed back on the table for the next customer. The asbestos cloth would come out of the fire whiter than it went in, so the Romans named asbestos "amiantus", meaning "unpolluted".
Roman Renaissance man, Pliny the Elder, who was a historian, doctor, and naturalist among other things, noted that asbestos was a magical material that could provide protection against all spells, particularly that of the Magi. He also observed that people, who had been exposed to asbestos at high concentrations, or for a long period of time, were more prone to "lung sickness", particularly those who worked in the asbestos mines. Pliny the Elder recommended that quarry slaves from asbestos mines not be purchased because of their high incidence of dying young. Since ailments of the lung were common to anyone who worked with asbestos fibers, Pliny the Elder suggested the use of a respirator made of transparent bladder skin to protect workers from asbestos dust.
Use of asbestos declined during the Middle Ages, yet there are plenty of documentations of its use. The Roman Emperor Charlemagne, reportedly used an asbestos tablecloth to convince some barbarian guests that he had supernatural powers. In a well-known story, Charlemagne demonstrated his "powers" by throwing the asbestos tablecloth into a fire, and then pulling it out without any singe marks. Marco Polo was also shown items made from asbestos cloth on his travels. Asbestos was also used extensively as insulation in suits of armor.
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