this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2025
557 points (99.5% liked)

[Dormant] moved to !historymemes@piefed.social

3520 readers
3 users here now

THIS COMM HAS MOVED

!historymemes@piefed.social

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] protist@mander.xyz 23 points 2 months ago

I found this:

Both the Greeks and the Romans employed asbestos as wicking material for their oil lamps. In fact, the very word “asbestos” comes from a Greek word meaning “inextinguishable.” In a world where lamplight extended work hours, a lamp wick made from chrysotile asbestos would burn almost indefinitely. In addition to lamp wicks, the Greeks and Romans used the long fibers of the serpentine form of asbestos in weaving textiles.