WHEN DID CHINESE SILK REACH ROME?

The silk commerce comprises a significant section of the classical economy, yet its initial nature and process along the various trade routes remain largely unexplored. Therefore, this paper endeavors to delineate the primary stage of long-distance silk trade, with the objective of revealing a vital interconnection between the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasties at opposite ends of the known world from a mercantile perspective. Starting from the discussion of the relation between the ethnic designation Seres and its alternative meaning of silk, this paper identifies the earliest references to silk in Greco-Roman literature. Subsequently, it demonstrates the evolution and dynamic transformations from the primary northern steppe silk routes to a southern maritime horizon. In addition to the fundamental Greek and Latin sources that offer insight into the condition of the silk trade in its western terminus, records in the Hanshu and the Houhanshu describe the eastern leg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]