Period Cordage and Knots

Notes on period rope fiber materials

What rope materials are "period?" Depends where it the world you're talking about.

Flax - Mentioned by Pliny for use on ships due to moisture resistance. By the Middle Ages, was mostly used for cloth and thread.

Hemp - Made from industrial cultivars of cannabis sativa. Fast-growing, very long fibers that make it stronger than most, but also rots easily unless treated. Dominant rope fiber from 15th century to the 19th. Uncommon in modern times and difficult to obtain except by specialty marine sources. Hempex is a synthetic fiber designed to imitate hemp's appearance. You know you have the real thing if it smells like a barnyard.

Cotton - Originates from the Indian sub-continent and North America. Used primary for cloth and thread. Not particularly strong for heavy loads but used for animal leads/hobbles due its softness. Available in craft and sewing stores, but usually found as string or twine.

Coir ("Coyer") - Made from coconut fibers. Was used on ships from India and Arabia, and is attested by Arab writers in the 11th century. Only a fourth as strong as hemp but very light weight and floats in water. Very rough to the touch. Sometimes sold in garden centers.

Silk - Originates in China. Is known to have been used in macramé since the Crusades, as part of a badge in 14th century Naples by a knightly order, and in garments such as waist cords. Was popular for a time among mountaineers in the 19th century due to its ability to stretch, but is weaker than hemp and manila.

Jute - Comes from Bangladesh and West Bengal. Not believed to have been imported to Europe until the 17th century. Commonly available as a twine in modern times. Can be used as fire tinder because of its flammability.

Manila - Comes from the Abacá plant in the Philippines as well as Costa Rica and Ecuador. Displaced hemp in the late 19th century. Lighter than hemp and more resistant to rot without needing to be tarred, but not as strong. Commonly available in hardware stores and can be differentiated from sisal by it's darker brown color.

Sisal - Made from agave sisalana, a plant originally from Mexico. About 80% as strong as manila, but lighter and resistant to sun damage. Commonly available in hardware stores. Is often confused with Manila and can be differentiated by it's lighter tan color.

Animal cordage sources - leather, sinew, hair, intestines ("catgut" which is actually from sheep or goats).

Tree bast fibers (“inner bark”) - birch, juniper, willow, lime tree. Likely Early Middle Ages for common labor and household use.

Heather - Used in northern British Isles and Isle of Man, mentioned in 12th and 13th century.

Heraldic charges depicting functional knots