 The Silk Road | |
| Date | Mid-6th Century (552?-563? CE) |
|---|---|
| Location | Central Asia |
| Participants | Two Byzantine Monks |
| Outcome | Establishment of Byzantine Silk Industry |
The Mid-6th Century Byzantine Silk Expedition was an expedition carried out by Christian monks, supported by Justinian I, to establish an indigenous Byzantine silk industry. The acquisition of silk worms from China allowed the Byzantines to have a monopoly of silk in Europe.[1] The expedition was one of the first examples of Byzantium's use of creative diplomacy. The Seljuk Sultan had a border dispute with Byzantium and sent an ambassador to Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor at the time, Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, made a deal with the ambassador and purchased the city of Sinope. Byzantine troops occupied Sinope before the Sultan found out about the purchase.[2] In another display of creative diplomacy, the Byzantines tricked the Arabs into handing over their supplies of grain or to burn them during the second siege of Constantinople before winter.[3] The unprepared Arabs suffered greatly.
Prior History edit
Silk, which was first produced sometime during the fourth millennium by the Chinese, was a valuable trade commodity along the Silk Road.[4] There are three distinct steps to silk production.[5] First, silkworms are grown on the leaves of a Mulberry bush. Second, the cocoons are dissolved in boiling water. Finally, the silk is harvested and spun on a reel. Silkworms are rather fragile. They have to be constantly kept at an ideal temperature or they perish.[6] By the first century CE, there was a steady flow of silk into the Roman Empire.[7] With the rise of the Sassanid Empire and the subsequent Roman–Persian Wars, importing silk to Europe was increasingly difficult and expensive. The Persians strictly controlled trade in their territory and would suspend trade in times of war.[8] By the sixth century, the region of Sogdiana centered around Samarkand had become a major silk trading territory.[9] The Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I, tried creating alternative trade routes to Sogdiana; one to the north via the Crimea, and one to the south via Ethiopia.[10] These failures led Justinian I to look elsewhere.
Expedition edit
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Two unidentified Persian monks, who had been preaching Christianity in India, made their way to China by 551 CE.[11] They either belonged to the Nestorian Church or the Orthodox Church.[12][13] While they were in China, they observed the intricate methods for raising silk worms and producing silk.[14] This was key, as the Byzantines had previously thought silk was made in India.[15]. In 552 CE, the two monks sought out the ambitious emperor, Justinian I.[16] In return for his generous but unknown promises, the monks agreed to acquire silk worms from China.[17] They most likely traveled a northern route along the Black Sea, taking them through the Transcaucasus and the Caspian Sea.[18] With their contacts in Sogdiana they smuggled silkworm eggs or very young larvae, which they hid within their bamboo canes.[19][20] Mulberry bushes, which are required for silk worms, were either gifted to the monks or already imported into the Byzantine Empire.[21] All in all, it is estimated that the entire expedition lasted two years.[22]
Impact edit
Shortly after the expedition there were silk factories in Constantinople, Beirut, Antioch, Tyre, and Thebes.[23] The acquired silk worms allowed the Byzantine Empire to have a silk monopoly in Europe. The acquisition also broke the Chinese and Persian silk monopolies.[24] The resulting monopoly was the foundation for the Byzantine economy for the next 650 years until its demise in 1204.[25] Silk clothes were almost always reserved for elitists in Byzantium.[26]. Silk that was dyed purple was only worn by elitists, as dictated by the Byzantine sumptuary laws.[27]
See also edit
Sources edit
- ^ Stanford University on Late Roman Silk
- ^ Military History and Espionage
- ^ Wikipedia Article on Siege of Constantinople (717-18)
- ^ University of Washington on Silk
- ^ Wikipedia Article on Silk
- ^ The Smithsonian on Silk Production
- ^ University of Washington on Silk
- ^ Norwich, John (1988), Byzantium: The Early Centuries pg. 265
- ^ Clare, Israel (1906), Library of Universal History: Mediaeval History pg. 1590
- ^ Norwich, pg. 266
- ^ Clare, pg. 1589
- ^ University of Washington on Silk
- ^ Norwich, pg. 266
- ^ Clare, pg. 1589
- ^ Clare, pg. 1587
- ^ Norwich, pg. 266
- ^ Clare, pg. 1590
- ^ Stanford University on Late Roman Silk
- ^ Norwich, pg. 266
- ^ Stanford University on Late Roman Silk
- ^ Stanford University on Late Roman Silk
- ^ Silk Museum of Lebanon
- ^ Norwich, pg. 266
- ^ Stanford University on Late Roman Silk
- ^ Muthesius, Anna (2003), Silk in the Medieval World pg. 326
- ^ University of Washington on Silk
- ^ University of Washington on Silk
Category:Silk
Category:Monks
Category:Byzantine Empire
Category:Byzantines