What is the history and origin of hemp fiber?

• Hemp is believed to be the oldest textile material known to mankind. The history of hemp is about 10,000 years old and the fabric is ever since involved.
• The earliest evidence of hemp as a woven textile material was found in China and Kazakhstan which dates back to around 8,000 B.C. and 4,000 B.C. respectively. Hemp is said to be harvested in central Asia around 6500 BC.
• Several pieces of evidence of spun hemp fabric have also been found in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Iran) that are anticipated to be 8,000 B.C.
• Around 1,200 BC the Europeans came to know about the hemp cloth after which this hemp cultivation and fabric construction technique spread among the surrounding continents quickly. European countries such as France, Spain and Chile have grown hemp for as long as 700 years till now.
• It is believed that the Chinese emperor Shen Nung educated his countryman about the cultivation method and art of hemp weaving in the 28th century BC as stated in the Lu Shi Chinese work of the Sung Dynasty (500AD). China has been growing hemp for over 6000 years for its several medical benefits and was the first to develop paper made of hemp in approximately 150 BC.