Why was silk so important to the Chinese?

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.

Why would China keep a monopoly on silk?

When the Chinese discovered the secret to creating silk, they held the monopoly on silk production worldwide. The industry was such a boon to Chinese trade that an imperial decree was issued which condemned to death anyone who attempted to sneak silkworms or eggs out of the empire.

Why was silk so highly valued Why did the Chinese guard the secret of its production?

Why did the Chinese guard the secret of making silk? Because the Chinese wanted to be the only ones who would be able to produce the precious fabric, they guarded the secret of silk production so carefully.

How did the secret of silk get out?

The West finally cracked the secret in 552 CE when the Byzantine emperor Justinian sent two Nestorian monks to central Asia. The monks hit the eggs in their hollow bamboo staves. The eggs hatched into worms which then spun cocoons.

What became a closely guarded secret in China?

What became a closely guarded secret in China? Silk Production.

How did silk get smuggled out of China?

Legend has it that two monks hid silkworm eggs inside a bamboo pole to smuggle them out of China, where they were guarded as closely as state secrets. The monks then presented the eggs to Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in Constantinople, where he created a thriving silk industry.

What year and what empire stole the Chinese secret of silk?

the Byzantine Empire
In the mid-6th century AD, two monks, with the support of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, acquired and smuggled silkworm eggs into the Byzantine Empire, which led to the establishment of an indigenous Byzantine silk industry.

How did the silk secret get out?

Who controlled the Silk Route?

Roman Empire (30 BCE–3rd century CE) The Roman Empire inherited eastern trade routes that were part of the Silk Road from the earlier Hellenistic powers and the Arabs. With control of these trade routes, citizens of the Roman Empire received new luxuries and greater prosperity for the Empire as a whole.

Who revealed the secret of silk?

For at least four thousand years, people have treasured silk. Chinese legends say that in about 2640 B.C., a Chinese empress saw a silkworm cocoon accidentally fall into her tea. She watched the thread unravel in the warm liquid. She had discovered silk.