Byzantine Silk Weaving

Timeline

1. c. 501–540Imperial palace district of Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireIn the first half of the 6th century, Byzantium established imperial silk workshops in the capital, with the court centrally managing weaving, dyeing, and trade. Raw silk was still largely imported at this time, but local reeling and brocade techniques were already beginning to develop.
2. 552–570Byzantine province of Syria · Byzantine SyriaAccording to Procopius, two monks smuggled silkworm eggs back from the East hidden in their staffs; Byzantium first established sericulture in Syria and Asia Minor, achieving self-sufficiency in raw silk and breaking the Persian silk monopoly.
3. 565–600Workshop complexes of Constantinople and Beirut · Byzantine EmpireFrom the later reign of Justinian I through the end of the 6th century, Byzantine silk workshops expanded in the capital, Beirut, Thebes, and elsewhere, developing five-harness, five-reed drawloom weaving and purple dye (murex) techniques; brocade became a core luxury good for imperial gifts and foreign trade.