New Evidence for Silk in the Indus ValleyArchaeometry (reprint) 2009
Silk is an important economic fiber, 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 dates to a millennium earlier. Recent microscopic analysis of archaeological thread fragments found inside copper and steatite beads from two important Indus sites, Harappa and Chanhu-daro, have yielded silk fibers, 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. (via Irene Good | Papers | New Evidence for Silk in the Indus Valley - Academia.edu; with a thanks to 'galeo rhinus' for this pointer).
Indian silk
India has two indigenous silk worms - one in the North East, which produces the Tussar silk. And the other is the one found at the Deccan plateau - which produces the Mysore silk. Both these are different from the Chinese silk-worm.
It has long been believed by Western historians (and their Indian chelas), that nothing good could have come out from India - except the zero!
To anyone, who has dealt and understands Indian silk would have realized that Indian silk industry was not a case of 'industrial espionage' from China - as alleged. It was homegrown.
This recent find proves just that.
Coming next ...
And there is more, where this came from! Indus Valley happens to be oldest, abandoned site that the West has discovered. What about living cities - where people have lived for more than 5000 years. Western diffidence about Indian history is well grounded. It has the ability to blow apart all their constructs.
And that can be a cause for real worry!
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