Silk is a fabric first produced in Neolithic China from the filaments of the cocoon of the silk worm. It became a staple source of income for small farmers and, as weaving techniques improved, the reputation of Chinese silk spread so that it became highly desired across the empires of the ancient world. As China's most important export for much of its history, the material gave its name to the great trading network the Silk Road, which connected East Asia to Europe, India, and Africa. Not only used to make fine clothes, silk was used for fans, wall hangings, banners, and as a popular alternative to paper for writers and artists.
More about: Silk in AntiquityDefinition
Timeline
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c. 3600 BCEFirst appearance of silk in China.
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c. 2700 BCEThe earliest known examples of woven silk from Qianshanyang, China.
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130 BCEThe Silk Road is officially opened.
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129 BCEParthians conquer Mesopotamia. The Silk Road to China is now controlled by the Parthians.
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27 BCE - 14 CEReign of Augustus Caesar in Rome, Chinese silk is very popular.
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161 CE - 180 CEReign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome, Chinese silk popularity endures.
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527 CE - 565 CEReign of Emperor Julian of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Beginning of Byzantine silk industry.
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542 CEThe bubonic plague, thought to have been brought through the Silk Road, decimates Constantinople.