When silk was first introduced it quickly became a precious commodity sought after by other countries. So much so, that it’s believed the silk trade began well before the establishment of the Silk Road in the 2nd century BC. An Egyptian mummy was discovered with silk near Thebes and the Valley of the Kings, in the village of Deir. The mummy dates back to around 1070BC, making it the earliest evidence of the silk trade. The ambassadors of Chinese emperor Han Wu Di traveled west to Mesopotamia and Persia during the second century BC. They took several gifts with them, including some silk. A Han embassy entered Baghdad in 97AD, and several discoveries of Han silk have been made across the Silk Road. One of the most important finds of Tang silk on the Silk Road was made by Aurel Stein in 1907. Buddhist monks, who were likely alarmed by the prospect of an invasion from the Tanguts in Tibet, sealed over ten thousand manuscripts, silk banners, silk paints, and textiles around 1015 AD. The materials were stored in a room in The Caves of the Thousand Buddhas near Dunhuang, a stop on the Silk Road in northwestern Gansu.
The Romans and Greeks started discussing Seres, a Kingdom of Silk, some time around the fourth century BC. Some historians suggest that the first Romans to learn of silk and see it for themselves were the legions under the command of Marcus Licinius Crassus, the Governor of Syria. The soldiers fighting in the battle of Carrhae of 53 BC were said to be so started by the bright silken banners of the Parthian troops that they retreated from the battle in a panic. The Roman Emperor Heliogabalus – who ruled from 218 – 222 AD- was known to only wear silken clothes. Marellinus Ammianus reported that, by 380AD, the use of silk had spread to every class in Roman society, even the lowest classes. Demand for silk only increased over time. Silk fetched a very high price back in Rome. The very best in Chinese bark – a type of silk – could cost up to 300 denarii (which is how much a Roman soldier made in a year!). Many sources have quoted that the demand for imported silk in Rome was so great it damaged the economy in Rome.
Silk was even able to offer a civilizing effect to barbarians. When the Goth Alaric attacked Rome in 408 AD, his demands for sparing the city included 3,000 pounds of copper, 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver and – perhaps surprisingly – 4,000 silken tunics.
Silk in Modern Times
Silk production around the world is around double what it was 30 years ago, despite man-made fibers coming into production and replacing the need for silk to some people. During that time China and Japan were the two main producers of silk in the world, together producing over half of all the silk produced in the world each year. China, the country that originally developed sericulture several thousands of years ago, increased their silk production in the 1970s to once again become to leading producer of silk across the world.
