Sasanian Silk Weaving

Timeline

1. c. 400–500Iranian Plateau · Iranian PlateauSasanian craftsmen mastered multi-shaft, multi-treadle looms and weft-faced compound silk (weft brocade) techniques, forming a typical pattern system of symmetrical beasts, pearl roundels, and hunting scenes; silk became a core commodity for court gifts and foreign trade.
2. c. 500–600Western Asian segment of the Silk Road · West AsiaSasanian silk was transported overland by caravans to the Byzantine Empire, provoking trade disputes such as the "Silk Wars"; the patterns also spread with the textiles into Central Asia and China, prompting Tang dynasty weft brocade to draw on and fuse with the Sasanian style.
3. c. 600–651Iranian Plateau · Iranian PlateauAfter the fall of the Sasanian Empire, weaving workshops and craftsmen's skills were inherited by the textile industry of Islamic-period Iran; Sasanian patterns continued to influence later Kashan brocades and Central Asian textile traditions.