Sheep have existed in Europe and Asia for 2,5 million years and the wool is considered to be our oldest textile material. You may look at the wool as nature's own functional material: It's elastic and can be stretched out up to 70% beyond its normal length and still regain its original shape. It can absorb dampness up to 30% of its own weight and yet feel dry and warm the body. The crimpiness of the fiber bind great amounts of air which reduces the transmission of heat from the material and isolates against both warmth and cold. The creatine in the wool brakes down smelly germs from the skin and the material is self-cleaning. This means you are not supposed to wash wool garments often, but air them preferably in humid weather since water vapour will remove dirty particles. The merino sheep descends from Northern Africa and came to Spain somewhere around the end of the 12th century. The legend is that the name came from the king's sheep inspectors called "merinos". The merino wool is fine fibrous and is looked upon as one of the more exclusive versions of wool. It is used for fine knitwear, has some shine and doesn't prickle.