The Silk Trade and Industrial Espionage: How Silk Secrets Shaped Global History
Reading Time : 2 minutes For centuries, China held a tight grip on the world’s silk production, guarding the secrets of sericulture with unwavering diligence. However, in the 6th century, two Byzantine monks, disguised as pilgrims, carried out one of history’s most daring acts of industrial espionage. By smuggling silkworm eggs out of China, hidden within their hollowed-out walking sticks, they broke China’s monopoly, transforming the Byzantine Empire into a new center of silk production and forever altering the course of global trade.