Facts
Why OpenThe legendary account credits Empress Leizu with discovering silk cultivation in one moment around 2700 BCE, while archaeological finds, a carved ivory silkworm figure at Nancun and silk residues at other Neolithic sites, push evidence of the practice back roughly 5,400 to 5,500 years, centuries before any written record, leaving no way to confirm whether a single origin event occurred or the practice simply accumulated. 1 What Would ResolveAdditional dated archaeological finds of silkworm cultivation across Neolithic Yellow River sites, or genetic dating of the domesticated silk moth's divergence from its wild ancestor, could narrow the window and test whether a single domestication event or several gradual ones occurred. 1 Discipline NeededArchaeology and archaeogenetics 1 Open Question
The legendary account credits Empress Leizu with discovering silk cultivation in one moment around 2700 BCE, while archaeological finds, a carved ivory silkworm figure at Nancun and silk residues at other Neolithic sites, push evidence of the practice back roughly 5,400 to 5,500 years, centuries before any written record, leaving no way to confirm whether a single origin event occurred or the practice simply accumulated.
What would resolve this Additional dated archaeological finds of silkworm cultivation across Neolithic Yellow River sites, or genetic dating of the domesticated silk moth's divergence from its wild ancestor, could narrow the window and test whether a single domestication event or several gradual ones occurred.
OpenArchaeology and archaeogeneticsSericulture (Wikipedia)
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