Han Wudi used Zhang Qian's [talk to the student working on Task A about who this person is] report to extend Chinese military power deep into Central Asia. A string of Chinese fortresses and checkpoints soon reached to Afghanistan. Diplomatic and commercial relations between the Chinese and the nomads increased. At the heart of these contacts was the exchange of horses from the nomads (called "tribute" by the Chinese) for silk from China (called "gifts" by the Chinese). The disguised trade of horses for silk along routes newly secured by the Chinese marks the opening of the Silk Road. One aspect of this trade is illustrated in the table. 

A passage from the historian Cassius Dio (164—224 CE.) describes the huge celebration that Julius Caesar staged in his own honor around 50 B.C.E.

The excerpt from Seneca, a leading writer of the 1st century C.E., typifies much Roman writing about silk. 

Suetonius, a leading historian of the 2nd century C.E., describes the clothing worn by Emperor Gaius (nicknamed "Caligula," who reigned briefly in the 1st century.)

The complicated process of producing fine cloth from the substance secreted by a tiny domesticated worm (Bombyx mori) was invented by the Chinese thousands of years ago. Called "sericulture," the process remained a Chinese monopoly until the end of the classical period, when the technique spread to other East Asian countries and then westward toward the Mediterranean. 

Chinese women were probably the world's earliest producers of silk. They remained in charge of production throughout the classical period and beyond. The women worked at home, usually assisted by their children. Steaming the cocoons killed the silkworms before they could chew through the fiber (thus destroying or greatly reducing its value) and also served to loosen the fiber in preparation for reeling and twisting it into a sturdy yarn. 

During the Han Dynasty, silk became somewhat of a currency. There are for instance documents from this era telling us about farmers who paid their taxes in grain and silk. When taxes were paid in silk, it also meant that the state would make its payments in silk, and civil servants could for instance get their salary in the form of silk. The cost of something could be described using lengths of silk as the unit of measurement, just like many other societies would use weight units of gold or silver.

The Chinese produced many grades of silk. Lesser grades were inexpensive and worn by ordinary people; silk padding (called "floss") was a good insulator against the winter cold. In contrast, the silk that reached Rome was high-end material and always regarded as a luxury.