[1] With the rise of the Sassanid Empire and the subsequent Roman–Persian Wars, importing silk to Europe became increasingly difficult and expensive.

[2] Consequently, the Roman Emperor Justinian I tried creating alternative trade routes to Sogdiana, which at the time had become a major silk-producing centre:[3] one to the north via Crimea, and one to the south via Ethiopia.

[4] In return for his generous but unknown promises, the monks agreed to acquire silkworms from China.

[clarification needed][8][4] Mulberry bushes, which are required for silkworms, were either given to the monks or already imported into the Roman Empire.

[11] Silk clothes, especially those dyed in imperial purple, were almost always reserved for the elite in Byzantium, and their wearing was codified in sumptuary laws.