History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c37.1

v1.c37.1

From very early stage in the development of human race, utilization of animal skins for all kinds of essential purposes has continued without a break. In the earliest stages, the product crudely prepared from skin was not actually what we today know as leather currently employed. Chamoising with fats and oils, tanning with mineral salts and tanning with vegetable extracts were all established in prehistoric times. Evidence shows that it had reached a remarkable standard of perfection in the highly advanced cultural societies of Ur, Babylon, Egypt, Ancient India and China. As preparatory methods improved, so the scope of leather usage was widened until it embraced almost every sphere of human activity.