Evidence of earliest silkworm farming outside China found, upending Silk Road timeline

The ancient history of silk production may have shifted, with evidence suggesting that the practice extended far beyond China's borders. Three silkworm cocoons, estimated to be around 4,000 years old, were recently discovered along the Surkhan-Darya River in southeast Uzbekistan. This finding, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, challenges the traditional belief that silk farming began in China and spread westward along the Silk Road.

The cocoon belongs to the Bombyx mori species, native to China and the primary source of silk production there today. The discovery of mulberry tree charcoal and citrus tree fossils near the cocoons indicates that the silkworms were likely transported to Uzbekistan from a more temperate environment, possibly through Himalayan or South Asian routes.

Professor Xinyi Liu, the lead researcher, noted that the mulberry trees are not native to Central Asia, implying that the silk production knowledge may have been introduced to the region. While the cocoon discovery does not conclusively establish that Central Asia became a center for sustained silk production, it does provide new evidence for early silk cultivation in the region.

This finding adds to the growing body of research suggesting that multiple silk-manufacturing cultures developed independently across different parts of the world during this period, challenging the notion that China was the sole origin of silk production.