The Secret History of Silk: From China to Rome Although silk was highly sought after by the Romans, it was associated with promiscuity and Octavian before he was emperor even tried to use Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII's love of silk as an example of their immorality. Although Octavian triumphed over the pair; the love of silk continued in Rome. The creation of silk was a closely guarded secret in China which meant China was the only place to get it And as its popularity increased so did the prices. In around 60 CE it was discovered that silk came from silkworms and not trees. But it wasn't until the time of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian between five twenty seven and five sixty five CE that someone other than the Chinese got their hands on silkworms Justinian sent 2 emissaries disguised as monks to China who stole silkworms and smuggled them back to the west and so the booming Byzantine silk industry began #silkroad #china #octavian #rome #byantine #goods #globalsales