China first invented and utilized silk 8500 years ago or has mastered mulberry technology

The research team of Professor Gong Decai from the Department of Science, Technology and Archaeology of the University of Science and Technology of China has recently obtained major research results on the prehistoric site of Jiahu in central Henan: the silk protein residue was detected in the soil sample of the remains of the tombs of two tombs in Jiahu. Object. According to the comprehensive analysis of the weaving tools and bone needles found in the site, it is indicated that the Jiahu residents of 8500 years ago may have mastered the basic weaving and sewing techniques, and consciously use silk fibers to make silk .

Jiahu Site is located in the central part of Henan Province and is one of the important birthplaces of ancient Chinese civilization. In the ancient Chinese legend, the ancestors of the Central Plains (now Xiping County, Henan Province, adjacent to Jiahu), the first method of cultivating mulberry sericulture and silkworm weaving, began the history of using silk to make silk.

Gong Decai said that during the Neolithic period, a series of textile tools, such as pottery, bones and stone tools, were often discovered. However, in the ruins, it is difficult to find direct evidence of the existence of silk. Indian scholars have proved that the surface of the bronzes unearthed from the Harapa and Changhu-Daro sites (2450-2000 BC) has silk fibers, which has been proposed by India to be used 4000 years ago. silk. The Austrian scholars determined that it was a silk fiber by analyzing the fiber suspects in the ancient Egyptian mummified curls, and concluded that the ancient Egypt, which was 3,000 years ago, has begun to use silk. Among some of the sites in China, there are also silk-related cultural relics unearthed. For example, about 4,000 years ago, the clam shell was discovered in the Yangshao Cultural Relics of Xiyin Village, Xia County, Shanxi Province. The silk and linen fabric fragments unearthed 4,500 years ago from the Neolithic Age Site in Qingtai Village, Puyang, Henan Province, were unearthed from the Qianshan Cultural Relics in Qianshan, Zhejiang. A batch of silk threads, ribbons and enamels without carbonization were made about 4,200 years ago. In addition, there are some earlier indirect evidence, including textile tools and symbols, patterns and decorations related to silkworms and silk.

The discovery of silk protein residues in Jiahu site has advanced archaeological evidence of Chinese silk for nearly 4,000 years, confirming that China was the first country to invent and utilize silk, which played a key role in the study of silk development history and has far-reaching effects. significance.