The medieval Byzantine Empire was well known for its production and use of luxurious silk, but until the mid-6th century Byzantine artisans were forced to import raw silk from China - an arduous journey which made silk incredibly expensive. It was during the reign of Justinian that the Byzantines ended the Chinese monopoly, and began to produce their own raw silk - the tale is a semi-legendary story, partially shrouded in myth: it involves two monks, the Byzantine emperor Justinian, and a daring expedition to china to retrieve silk worms. This is the great byzantine silk worm heist.

This mini-documentary gives a brief overview of how the indigenous Byzantine silk industry began in the middle ages.

All materials are used under fair use for education and commentary.

Music:
- Ascension by Scott Buckley (https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley/ascension-cc-by)
- The Illusionist by Scott Buckley (https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley/the-illusionist-cc-byy)
- Artemis by Scott Buckley (https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley/artemis-cc-by)
- Terminus by Scott Buckley (https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley/terminus-cc-by)
- The Distant Sun by Scott Buckley (https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley/the-distant-sun)Full picture credits, as well as bibliography, can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/the-histories/

Timestamps:
Intro - 0:00
The Importance of Silk - 1:11
The Problems of Importing Silk - 1:43
Attempts at Alternate Trade Routes - 3:15
Justinian is Visited by Two Monks - 4:16
The Heist - 4:58
The Monks Reach Constantinople - 5:51
The Impact of Byzantine Silk Production - 6:30
Conclusion - 7:27