Woman watching as two women brush silkworms off a sheet of paper or cloth into a box. The production of silk originates in China in prehistoric times. Silk remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at some point during the later half of the first millennium BC. China maintained its virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years. Bombyx mori (the caterpillar of the domesticated silk moth) is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. Silk cultivation spread to Japan around 300 AD, and, by 522 AD, the Byzantines managed to obtain silkworm eggs and were able to begin silkworm cultivation. The Arabs also began to manufacture silk during this same time. The Crusades brought silk production to Western Europe. From: A series of female handiwork in silk worm production. Utamaro Kitagawa, circa 1799 and 1801. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / LOC / Science Source |
Bildgröße: | 3032 px × 4500 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |