Chinese scientists have unearthed archaeological evidence in Uzbekistan showing that silkworm cocoons and mulberry trees existed in Central Asia more than 2,000 years before the Silk Road formally opened in the 2nd century BC — a discovery that challenges long-held assumptions about the origins and spread of sericulture. The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, were led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.

What the discovery reveals

Traditional scholarship has placed the origins of sericulture and silk-reeling technology in China, dating back 8,500 to 5,000 years ago, with the knowledge spreading westward only after Zhang Qian — the Han dynasty diplomat and explorer — opened the overland trade corridor in 138 BC. That corridor ran from Chang'an (present-day Xian) through Gansu province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, eventually connecting Central Asia, West Asia, and the Mediterranean. The new Uzbekistan find pushes the presence of silk-related biological material in the region far beyond that timeline.

Where the evidence was found

The silkworm cocoons and mulberry tree remnants were recovered from a site near the Surkhan River in Uzbekistan, with artefacts later cross-referenced against collections at the Tashkent State Museum. Researchers associated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences led the analysis, according to the published study. The geographic positioning of the find — situated between the Himalayas and the broader Central Asian steppe — raises new questions about whether silk knowledge may have travelled through South Asia or via independent domestication routes predating formal diplomatic contact.

Why it matters

The discovery, authored in part by researcher Zhou Xinying, directly contests the dominant narrative that silk technology was a closely guarded Chinese export disseminated exclusively through the Silk Road. If sericulture existed in Uzbekistan millennia before Zhang Qian's mission, it implies either an earlier, undocumented transmission route or a parallel development of silk knowledge in the region. Either scenario would significantly reframe the economic and cultural history of ancient trade between East Asia and Central Asia.

The competitive backdrop of ancient silk history

The Silk Road has long served as a cornerstone of historical narratives connecting China to the wider world, and archaeological claims touching on its origins carry considerable scholarly and geopolitical weight. Previous discoveries across South Asia and the Himalayas have hinted at more complex early trade networks, but direct biological evidence of silk production materials in Central Asia at this scale is rare. The Science Advances publication lends the findings peer-reviewed credibility that is likely to prompt responses from historians and archaeologists globally.

What's next

Scholars will now scrutinise the dating methodology and the precise species identification of the cocoon remains to assess whether the evidence points to domesticated Bombyx mori silkworms or wild relatives. Independent verification from institutions outside China will be critical to establishing consensus. The findings open a broader research agenda into pre-Silk Road connectivity across Central Asia — one that could reshape how the ancient world's most valuable textile trade is understood.