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Byzantine Silk Production

Type Object Region Constantinople Time c. 550–1204

From the sixth century the Byzantine Empire monopolized sericulture and silk weaving, with imperial workshops in Constantinople tightly controlling r…

Timeline

  1. c. 550–600Constantinople · ConstantinopleUnder Justinian, silkworm eggs and sericulture techniques were brought in from the East; imperial silk workshops (gynaikonitis) were established in the capital, and the state monopolized cocoons, dyes, and weaving, breaking the Persian silk monopoly.
  2. c. 800–1000Constantinople · ConstantinopleThe imperial workshops developed a detailed division of labor; purple (porphyra) dye and silks bestowed by the emperor became symbols of imperial authority, and exported fabrics circulated via the Silk Road and Mediterranean trade networks, bringing the empire steady foreign-exchange income.
  3. c. 1171–1180Constantinople · ConstantinopleUnder Manuel I, the imperial silk workshops remained under strict state control; court ceremony, diplomatic gifts, and Venetian trade all depended on their output, and although threatened by Italian penetration, the monopoly on silk techniques had not yet collapsed.

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