Coa vestis is an ancient type of fabric named after its point of origin, the Greek island Kos.
Coa vestis was made by the wild silk of Pachypasa otus, a Mediterranean moth.[1] Aristotle first mentioned coa vestis in the 4th century BC.[2]
The elder Pliny reported Pamphila of Kos, daughter of Plateas, discovered the secret of silk manufacture.[3]
After the 1st century AD the coa vestis was gradually superseded by Chinese silk, which was superior in quality.
References
edit- ^ Bombyx in Merriam Webster.
- ^ Aristotle, hist.an. 5,19. 551b 13ff.
- ^ Pliny the Elder, Naturalis historia 11, 26.