History of the Silkworm
The legend
The history of the silkworm, and the story of silk, dates back to ancient times in China. According to the most common legend, it all began in 2640 B.C. when Si-Ling-Chi, a Chinese Empress, was walking through her garden. A silkworm cocoon fell into her tea. When she picked it up, she noticed that the cocoon began to unravel, forming a beautiful string of what is now known as silk.
Intrigued by the origin of the cocoon, Si-Ling-Chi examined the mulberry tree above her and noticed the small caterpillars (silkworms) crawling around. She concluded that the cocoon had come from these caterpillars.
For 2,500 years, the Chinese royal family kept the secret of silk to themselves. The material was sold to the rulers of the West, but the source of the shiny thread that made the material was not revealed. In China, the penalty for revealing the true source of silk was death.
Over time, some very strange theories emerged regarding the origin of silk. Some believed it came from the colored petals of flowers in the Chinese desert, others thought it was made from wondrously soft soil, while some even speculated that it came from a spider-like animal that burst open to reveal silk threads inside its body, or from the silky fuzz on special leaves. Today, these ideas seem far-fetched, but in ancient times, they were serious theories.
The secret of silk was eventually revealed to the rest of the world thanks to two poor monks. They told Emperor Justinian of Constantinople that they had learned the secret of silk after traveling to China. Justinian sent them back to China to obtain silkworm eggs and mulberry shoots. The monks returned years later with the eggs and shoots hidden inside their hollowed-out walking sticks. Since Justinian ruled Constantinople, a city at the crossroads of many trade routes, the secret soon spread throughout Europe. This journey by the monks became known as the Silk Road, marking a significant milestone in what is now modern-day trade.
Away from the legend
Silk was first reared in ancient China. Remnants of silk have been found in neolithic tombs in China, dating back as far as 8,500 years ago. Initially, silk was exclusively used by emperors and empresses in ancient China as a symbol of wealth. Evidence of its spread can be found on the Indian subcontinent, and from there, it reached the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. This trade route has come to be known as the Silk Road.
The emperors of China tried to keep their knowledge of sericulture a secret to maintain their monopoly. Nevertheless, sericulture reached Korea around 200 BC and India by 140 AD. Throughout history, many countries have attempted to break China's monopoly on silk, including Bangladesh, where Bengal was the world's leading importer of silk from the 16th to 19th centuries.
Fun fact
North Korea is the world’s eighth-largest exporter of silk, selling an average of 1,500,000 kilograms each year.
Silkworm rearing today
Today, silk remains as popular and important as ever. It is primarily produced in China, with India being the second-largest producer in the world. Silkworms are generally reared for the primary purpose of extracting their silk, but they have many other uses. They are also used as food for both animal and human consumption and in research.
Silk isn’t called the queen of all textiles for nothing! It is elegant, soft, and durable. In fact, silk is nature’s strongest natural fiber and, pound for pound, is stronger than steel. The future of silk is also very exciting. Thanks to modern science, new developments have led to genetic modifications in the genome of the silkworm, allowing for rapid advancements. Consider the protection used by soldiers in battle: it is often heavy and uncomfortable. Scientists have harnessed the strength and lightweight nature of silk to develop armor for soldiers. There is also talk of using silk in construction to supplement other materials such as steel. Would you trust a building constructed using silk? And of course, silk will continue to be used in your favorite clothing items.
Silkworm cocooning
Heading
About us
Taylor Battistella started Everything Silkworms after sitting in his school classroom and watching a video in Japanese class. During the video, the children were rearing silkworms from home.
“I decided I wanted to get some silkworms, so I bought 100 eggs and reared them in a shoebox from my bedroom, and as they say, the rest is history. Since then, I have supplied 1,000's of schools and 10,000+ retail customers across the country” he said.
Featured products
