Scientists have found evidence of silkworm cocoons and mulberry trees in Uzbekistan dating back thousands of years before the Silk Road.

A recent archaeological discovery by Chinese scientists in Uzbekistan indicates that silkworm cocoons and mulberry trees were present in the region long before the Silk Road was established. This finding challenges traditional historical scholarship, which previously suggested that sericulture and silk-reeling technology spread from China along the Silk Road starting in the 2nd century BC.

Historical context of the Silk Road

The Silk Road originated from a mission in 138 BC, when Han dynasty diplomat Zhang Qian was sent to the western regions to organize a pincer attack against the Xiongnu nomadic confederation. Although the military objective failed, the mission established a land route connecting Changan, now Xian, through Gansu and Xinjiang to Central and West Asia and the Mediterranean. Chinese silk became the most representative good traded along this route, ultimately giving the network its name.

New evidence from Uzbekistan

While traditional history holds that silk technology originated in China between 8,500 and 5,000 years ago, the new findings in Uzbekistan suggest a much earlier presence of the necessary materials. The discovery confirms that silkworm cocoons and mulberry trees existed in the Central Asian region more than 2,000 years before the Silk Road officially opened.