New Evidence for Early Silk in the Indus Civilization*

Abstract

Silk is an important economic fibre, and is generally considered to have been the exclusive cultural heritage of China. Silk weaving is evident from the Shang period c. 1600–1045 bc, though the earliest evidence for silk textiles in ancient China may date to as much as a millennium earlier. Recent microscopic analysis of archaeological thread fragments found inside copper‐alloy ornaments from Harappa and steatite beads from Chanhu‐daro, two important Indus sites, have yielded silk fibres, dating to c. 2450–2000 bc. This study offers the earliest evidence in the world for any silk outside China, and is roughly contemporaneous with the earliest Chinese evidence for silk. This important new finding brings into question the traditional historical notion of sericulture as being an exclusively Chinese invention.

A Reply to Ji‐huan He

“…We are grateful for the opportunity to hear readers' views concerning our joint paper on archaeological evidence for early silk in the Indus Civilization (Good et al 2009), and are equally grateful for the opportunity to respond to one particular reader's comments on our findings: Mr. Ji-Huan He (2010), who writes 'Silk is of China and China is of Silk".…”

“South Asian Ways of Silk - A Patchwork of Biology, Manufacture, Culture and History”

“…As shown by findings in the Indus Valley Civilization tasar and muga silk have been used by man since about 2400 B.C., almost as long time as mulberry silk has been known [3].…”

Nanoparticles from renewable polymers

“…There is archeological evidence for the use of flax fibers, consisting of cellulose, other polysaccharides, and lignin, already 30,000 years ago (Kvavadze et al, 2009). Although animal derived materials had found their use before, evidence for the use of wool, fur, silk or leather, which are animal derived, protein (keratin, collagen, silk protein) materials, is dating back almost 7000 years (Good et al, 2009). Ancient Mesoamerican people used natural rubber (polyisoprene) in its liquid or colloidal form as medicines, and in its solid form for creating decorative items, coatings, and solid balls to be used in ritual ball games (Hosler, 1999).…”