Latest / Trade Routes That Changed Human History Forever — Fexingo History
The Monks Who Smuggled Silk: How Byzantium Stole China's Secret
In the 6th century, the Byzantine Empire desperately wanted to break China's monopoly on silk production. Emperor Justinian I commissioned a daring mission: two monks, traveling along the Silk Road, hid silkworm eggs in hollow bamboo canes and smuggled them back to Constantinople. This single act of industrial espionage ended the Chinese monopoly, sparked sericulture across the Mediterranean, and reshaped global trade. Historian Procopius recorded the tale, but questions remain: Did the monks really go to China, or to the Buddhist kingdom of Khotan? How did they keep the eggs alive? This…
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