Shortly after sheep and other animals were being domesticated for their wool, the Chinese people were domesticating moths for their silk.

The idea that moth cocoons could be used for thread was not a solely Chinese discovery; there is evidence that wild silk moths were incredibly popular in Greece for their fibers. About 5000 years ago, though, China carefully curated their moths until they had just a few breeds that basically would eat only mulberry leaves. Within a thousand years, the moths had become unable to reproduce without the help of humans or fly as adults.

The production of silk from these domesticated moths led to the ancient empires of Rome, Greece and Egypt finding it much simpler to import the silk than to attempt to produce it themselves. The formed what we now call ‘The Silk Route’, a trading web to bring silk and spices from Eastern Asia to Western Europe. In return, Western Europe sent honey, wine and livestock. They also traded paper, gunpowder and disease, changing how humans interacted with each other over a millennia and a half. The Roman Dodecahedron talked about earlier was probably influenced by gold beads that traveled the Silk Route as well.

In many of the areas that still produce silk, the dead pupae are still often cooked and eaten, mostly as a savory snack food And in a curious circle, there is now an ‘Ahimsa silk’, made from wild moths who have left their cocoons, and considered a more ethical fiber.

What did animal fibers mean for humans? It started another textile revolution. But first, Africa.