It was not until AD 552 that Chinese silkworm stocks and sericulture technology were introduced to Constantinople, the capital of East Roman Empire (in the present Istanbul, Turkey). A large scale silk production started in Europe. At that time, emperor Justinian was in power.In order to break the monopoly of Persians on the silk trade, Justinian encouraged Persian merchants and Indian monks to bring the silkworm  stocks and sericulture technique to Byzantium. Lots of royal silk spinning workshops arrived at Constantinople, employing a great number  of working women in silk production.

Justinian monopolized the manufacture and trade of silk fabrics in East Roman Empire. Therefore, the spreading of the silk production technique was very slow in Europe. It was not until the middle of i2th Century that Italy began the production of silk fabrics, when it captured 2,000 silk spinning workers from Byzantium and moved them to the south of the country. As for Spain, France, Britain, Germany and  other European countries, it was only until i3th century that they began to master the technique of silk production.

According to a report of the US NationalGeography, German archeologists discovered an ancient tomb dated 500 BC in a village near Stuttgart and identified relics of Chinese silk cloth on corpses unearthed. Chinese silk was also unearthed In Crimea, Russia. .The inscriptions on other utensils, excavated at the same time, showed they were belonging  to the period of 3rd century BC. These evidences indicated that silk  fabrics found their way to the western world long before Zhang Qian traveled to Xiyu (Western Regions).

There are lots of ancient Greek sculptures and potteries which preserved to date with colored portraits in fine, thin, bright and transparent garments. It is estimated that, as early as in 5th century BC Chinese silk had already become a favorite fabric for upper circles of Greece.

All of these indicate, as early as in the 2nd century BC there already  was a route between Asia and Europe for exchange of goods and communication of ideas. The road was made literally by the steps of traders and nomads in wild, boundless desert and wastelands. Today the exact location of this route is not clear but we can draw an outline of this ancient route on the basis of archaeological research. It is certain that  this early route had paved the way for the later Silk Road.