This material was not always made of cotton or linen as it is today. Originally, the weavers of the time used mainly hemp to weave. It is the use of this material that gave canvas its name, "canvas" being a derivative of the Latin word "cannabis" which literally means "made of hemp".
It is estimated that the first use of cotton in the manufacture of canvas products dates back to around 1500 B.C., particularly in the Indian plains. Later, thanks to trade, cotton cloth gradually spread to Europe, around the 8th century.