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China
Silk fabric was first developed in ancient China, possibly as early
as 6000 BC and definitely by 3000 BC. Legend gives credit to a Chinese
empress, Xi Ling-Shi (Hsi-Ling-Shih, Lei-tzu). Silks were originally
reserved for the kings of China for their own use and gifts to others,
but spread gradually through Chinese culture both geographically and
socially, and then to many regions of Asia. Silk rapidly became a popular
luxury fabric in the many areas accessible to Chinese merchants because
of its texture and luster. Silk was in great demand, and became a staple
of pre-industrial international trade. In July of 2007, archeologists
have discovered intricately weaved and dyed silk textiles in a tomb
of Jiangxi province that are dated to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, roughly
2,500 years ago. Although historians have suspected a long history of
a formative textile industry in ancient China, this find of silk textiles
employing "complicated techniques" of weaving and dyeing provides
direct and concrete evidence for silks dating before the Mawangdui-discovery
and other silks dating to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD).
The first evidence of the silk trade is the finding of silk in the hair
of an Egyptian mummy of the 21st dynasty, c.1070 BC. Ultimately the
silk trade reached as far as the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East,
Europe, and North Africa. This trade was so extensive that the major
set of trade routes between Europe and Asia has become known as the
Silk Road.
The Emperors of China strove to keep knowledge of sericulture secret
to maintain the Chinese monopoly. Nonetheless sericulture reached Korea
around 200 BC, about the first half of the 1st century AD had reached
ancient Khotan, and by AD 300 the practice had been established in India.
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Thailand
Silk is produced in Thailand's favorable climate by two types of silkworms,
the cultured Bombycidae and wild Saturniidae, all the year round, mostly
after the rice harvest by villagers from the central and northeast parts
of the country. Women traditionally weave silk on hand looms, and pass
the skill on to their daughters as weaving is considered to be a sign
of maturity and eligibility for marriage. Thai silk textiles often use
complicated patterns in various colors and styles. Most regions of Thailand
have their own typical silks. TOP
South Asia
Silk, known as Pattu or Reshmi in southern parts of India and Resham
in Hindi/Urdu (from Persian), has a long history in India and is widely
produced today. Historically silk was used by the upper classes, while
cotton was used by the poorer classes. Today silk is mainly used in
Bhoodhan Pochampally (also known as Silk City), Kanchipuram, Dharmavaram,
Mysore, etc. in South India and Banaras in the North for manufacturing
garments and Sarees. "Murshidabad silk", famous from historical
times, is mainly produced in Malda and Murshidabad district of West
Bengal and woven with hand looms in Birbhum and Murshidabad district.
Another place famous for production of silk is Bhagalpur. The silk from
Kanchi is particularly well-known for its classic designs and enduring
quality. The silk is traditionally hand-woven and hand-dyed and usually
also has silver threads woven into the cloth. Most of this silk is used
to make saris. The saris usually are very expensive and vibrant in color.
Garments made from silk form an integral part of Indian weddings and
other celebrations. In the northeastern state of Assam, three different
types of silk are produced, collectively called Assam silk: Muga, Eri
and Pat silk. Muga, the golden silk, and Eri are produced by silkworms
that are native only to Assam. The heritage of silk rearing and weaving
is very old and continues today especially with the production of Muga
and Pat riha and mekhela chador, the three-piece silk saris woven with
traditional motifs. Mysore Silk Sarees, which are known for their soft
texture and expensive class last easily as long as 25 to 30 years, if
maintained well. TOP
Mediterranean
In
the Odyssey, 19.233, it is mentioned that Odysseus wore a shirt "gleaming
like the skin of a dried onion" . Some researchers proposed that
the shirt was made of silk. The Roman Empire knew of and traded in silk.
During the reign of emperor Tiberius, sumptuary laws were passed that
forbade men from wearing silk garments, but these proved ineffectual.
Despite the popularity of silk, the secret of silk-making only reached
Europe around AD 550, via the Byzantine Empire. Legend has it that monks
working for the emperor Justinian I smuggled silkworm eggs to Constantinople
in hollow canes from China. While they were there, they also observed
the secret techniques of silk making from the Chinese. The Byzantines
were as secretive as the Chinese, and for many centuries the weaving
and trading of silk fabric was a strict imperial monopoly all top-quality
looms and weavers were located inside the Palace complex in Constantinople
and the cloth produced was used in imperial robes or in diplomacy, as
gifts to foreign dignitaries. The remainder was sold at very high prices.
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Islamic world
In Islamic teachings, Muslim men are forbidden to wear silk. Many religious
jurists believe the reasoning behind the prohibition lies in avoiding
clothing for men that can be considered feminine or extravagant.[5]
Despite injunctions against silk for men, silk has retained its popularity
in the Islamic world because of its permissibility for women. The Muslim
Moors brought silk with them to Spain during their conquest of the Iberian
Peninsula. TOP
Medieval and modern Europe
Venetian merchants traded extensively in silk and encouraged silk growers
to settle in Italy. By the 13th century, Italian silk was a significant
source of trade. Since that period, the silk worked in the province
of Como has been the most valuable silk in the world. The wealth of
Florence was largely built on textiles, both wool and silk, and other
cities like Lucca also grew rich on the trade. Italian silk was so popular
in Europe that Francis I of France invited Italian silk makers to France
to create a French silk industry, especially in Lyon. Mass emigration
(especially of Huguenots) during periods of religious dispute had seriously
damaged French industry and introduced these various textile industries,
including silk, to other countries.
James I attempted to establish silk production in England, purchasing
and planting 100,000 mulberry trees, some on land adjacent to Hampton
Court Palace, but they were of a species unsuited to the silk worms
and the attempt failed. British enterprise also established silk filature
in Cyprus in 1928. In England in the mid 20th Century silk was produced
at Lullingstone Castle in Kent. Silkworms were raised and reeled under
the direction of Zoe Lady Hart Dyke. Production started elsewhere later.
In Italy, the Stazione Bacologica Sperimentale was founded in Padua
in 1871 to research sericulture. In the late 19th century, China, Japan,
and Italy were the major producers of silk. The most important cities
for silk production in Italy were Como and Meldola (Forlì). In
medieval times, it was common for silk to be used to make elaborate
casings for bananas and other fruits.
Silk was expensive in Medieval Europe and used only by the rich. Italian
merchants like Giovanni Arnolfini became hugely wealthy trading it to
the Courts of Northern Europe. TOP
North America
James I of England introduced silk-growing to the American colonies
around 1619, ostensibly to discourage tobacco planting. Only the Shakers
in Kentucky adopted the practice. In the 1800s a new attempt at a silk
industry began with European-born workers in Paterson, New Jersey, and
the city became a US silk center, although Japanese imports were still
more important.
World War II interrupted the silk trade from Japan. Silk prices increased
dramatically, and US industry began to look for substitutes, which led
to the use of synthetics such as nylon. Synthetic silks have also been
made from lyocell, a type of cellulose fiber, and are often difficult
to distinguish from real silk for more on synthetic silks.
Mongols used silk as part of the under-armor garments. Silk is tough
enough that it was used as very light armor, though its special use
was to stop arrow penetration into the body. The silk would stop an
arrow from penetrating far enough into the body to be lethal, and the
arrow could be pulled out of the wound by tugging on the unbroken silk.
The head of an arrow pulled out this way would not contact the body,
reducing the likelihood of infection.
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