“Seres” Silk People Were Silla

초록

Romans in the fifth and sixth centuries BC referred to the people who brought silk from the Far East via the pre-Han (漢) silk road as “Seres”. The Seres' colorful silk was characterized by intricate patterns and high yarn density, markedly different than thin “China silk”. This study examined geographic and genealogic records and linguistic evidence and found support for the syllogistic conclusion that the “Seres” were the early Silla people. The Seres' territory in the seventh century BC was much larger than that of the Qin (秦) or Zhou (周), extending from Xinjiang to Balhae. According to literature records, Dong-Yi (東夷) invented Geum (錦) silk in the 11th century BC around Balhae, where silkworm trees were abundant. In the Han dynasty, even thin silk was rare and expensive, but in Gojoseon (古朝鮮), Geum silk was common and less valuable than beads. The Silla delivered surplus Geum silk, fur, and high-quality iron to the West. Linguistic evidence includes historical names for Silla: “Sira,” “Saro,” and “Sere,” as well as records naming King Ruri of Silla “Seri-Ji”; and the replacement of the word “Seres” by the word “Silk” from the Goguryeo word for “yarn winder”: “sil-kkury”. © 2023, The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles. All rights reserved.

키워드