Byzantine silk

Byzantine silk is silk woven in the Byzantine Empire from about the fourth century until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. The capital city, Constantinople, was the first important place in Europe where silk was made.

Silk was very important in the Byzantine economy. It was used to pay people and to make friends with other countries. At first, raw silk was bought from China, but later silkworms were smuggled into the Empire. This made the old silk trade less important.

After the time of Justinian I, making and selling silk became something only the emperor could control. Silk was made in special factories and sold only to certain buyers. Byzantine silks were famous for their bright colors, gold thread, and detailed designs that looked almost like embroidery in loom-woven fabric. Byzantium was the leader in silk making in Europe during the Early Middle Ages, until new silk factories appeared in Italy in the 12th century and the empire was broken up after the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

Development

Further information: Sino-Roman relations, Serica, and Daqin

During the time of the Roman Empire, silk clothes traveled to the West through the Silk Road from Han China. The secret of making silk from silkworms stayed hidden in China until the Emperor of the East Justinian I brought silkworm eggs out of Central Asia around the year 554. This started silk weaving in the Byzantine Empire.

People began making silk at home, often in rural areas or outside towns. The silk was moved by land or sea to the capital, Constantinople, where it was made into beautiful goods. New tools and methods were created, including special patterns and colorful designs. These silks often showed scenes from nature, animals, and stories from the royal court.

International relations

Silk was very important for the Byzantine Empire when they made friends and trade deals with other countries, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe. Places like Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi got silk as gifts and rewards. For example, when Venice helped protect the Byzantines, they were given silk as a thank you. Silk was also used to help arrange important marriages between royal families.

The Byzantines also used silk to make deals with China. After some silkworm eggs were brought from China, the Byzantines wanted to trade silk directly with them. They even sent gifts and offered to work together against other powers. Even though the Byzantines made their own silk, they still thought Chinese silk was better quality. Silk helped the Byzantines build relationships and show off their wealth to other nations.

Legislation

Rules controlled the use of special colors like Tyrian purple for silk in the Byzantine Empire. These colors were often used in important gifts between leaders. Silk workshops used many different dyes, including madder, kermes, indigo, weld, and sappanwood. They also made shiny gold thread by wrapping silver-gilt strips around silk.

These rules came from imperial decrees. Only the empire could make purple silk because it was very expensive and needed a lot of work. A group called a collegia helped watch over the making of purple silk. If someone made purple silk without permission, their products would be taken away, and they would have to pay a fine.

The decrees also led to rules in the Justinian Codes about how to tell different silks apart. The type of silk a person used could show their rank, job, or wealth in the empire. There were also rules about who could sell silk, and they needed permission from a government official or a member of the clergy.

In the 10th century, some silk production was handled by non-imperial guilds, especially in Constantinople. These guilds had to follow rules written in the Book of the Perfect. For example, certain colors like purple, blue, and red could only be made or sold to people in the imperial court or those of high social standing. Some special clothes were also only for these groups.

Religious presence

Silks in the Byzantine Empire were often given to the Church as gifts, showing the Empire's support for the Church. Many churches received beautiful silks, sometimes with gold or gemstones. Before the ninth century, altar cloths were made of pure gold and silk thread. The monastery of St. John at Patmos kept a list of silk gifts given before the year 1200. These included silk cloths for important items, silk clothing for ceremonies, and silk covers for religious images. Silk was also used in special church practices like the epigonation, epitaphios, and sakkos.

Terms

Serika

Serika is a word used by historians from the Byzantine Empire. It describes finished silk products sold to ordinary people. While silk was usually a luxury, Serika refers to silk items that were more commonly available.

Blattia

Blattia started as a name for silk goods colored purple, often mixed with shellfish. Over time, it came to mean any silk product dyed purple. These products included clothes, furniture, and decorative tapestries.

Holoserika

Holoserika was a reward given to sailors who brought back valuable goods, like silk, on their voyages. These rewards were usually general silk goods. The term appeared in laws from around the 7th or 8th century.

Subsericum

Subsericum describes silk that was not spun well. It refers to the silk material itself, not the finished products made from it.

Holoblattia

Holoblattia refers to silk used in important goods or the goods themselves. Examples include special clothing for church singers and imperial guards.

Metaxa

Metaxa means raw silk fiber. One of the earliest uses of this term was by Prokopios, who described how silk farming began in Byzantium. This term was also used in trade with the Sogdians and often referred to unwoven silk. Sometimes it described the material used for bowstrings in military equipment.

Sendes

Sendes is silk fabric made to look like silk from Arabic regions. This included copying the texture and patterns of the silk.

Triblattion

Triblattion refers to silk reserved for the emperor and his court. It was usually clothing that came in two or three colors, with one color being more dominant.

Diblattion

Diblattion also refers to silk products for the emperor and his court, but these were special cushions to recline on. Each diblattion was made differently based on the person's role in the empire. For example, military leaders had cushions that showed their ranks.

Woven textiles

The Byzantine Empire made special fabric called samite. This fabric used six threads when it was made. Samite was very important from the 4th to the 12th centuries. It was so valuable that it was often used to make friends with other countries. The Byzantine Empire shared silk trading with places like Venice, Pisa, Genoa, and Amalfi to get help protecting their lands.

Byzantine silk had a big effect on other places. Many countries copied Byzantine styles for clothes and decorations. These silks were also used in important ceremonies and for religious clothing. Silks from the Byzantine Empire have been found in Western Europe, used in important books and as decorations in churches and homes.

Tapestry and embroidery

Byzantine workshops made beautiful tapestries and embroidered fabrics. These textiles often had detailed pictures, like scenes with emperors and other important people. One famous example is the "Bamberger Gunthertuch", a large woven tapestry made in the 10th century. It shows an emperor on a horse with two women beside him. Many years later, it was taken to Germany by a bishop named Gunther of Bamberg, who used it for special clothing.

Religious pictures were also popular on clothes and hangings. These designs were inspired by older styles from places like Egypt. People in some areas decorated their everyday clothes with scenes from stories. Some leaders thought this was not right and believed people should focus on being kind and good. Some of these special designs have survived, showing how talented the Byzantine workers were.

Decline

In 1147, during the Second Crusade, Roger II of Sicily attacked Corinth and Thebes. These were important places for making silk. He took the workers and their tools to start silk factories in Palermo and Calabria. Later, in 1204, the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople. After this, the silk industry in the Byzantine Empire grew smaller. It could only make silk for its own people. Sicily and the cities of Lucca and Venice became the main places for silk-making in Europe.