Silk Timeline

First appearance of silk in China.

The earliest known examples of woven silk from Qianshanyang, China.

The Silk Road is officially opened.

Parthians conquer Mesopotamia. The Silk Road to China is now controlled by the Parthians.

Reign of Augustus Caesar in Rome, Chinese silk is very popular.

Reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome, Chinese silk popularity endures.

Reign of Emperor Julian of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Beginning of Byzantine silk industry.

The bubonic plague, thought to have been brought through the Silk Road, decimates Constantinople.