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There’s apparently quite a variety of silk-producing insects with a very wide distribution. Most of them produce silk for their cocoons when undergoing complete metamorphosis, but raspy crickets produce silk for their shelters. I have read that the latest evidence for the domestication of silkworms tells us that it happened some 5,000 years ago, but Chinese silk didn’t start to reach Europe until the days of the Roman Empire.

What if the Europeans began cultivating their own silk independently before they ever knew about Chinese silk? What species do you find the most likely for this, and why? Also, what effect does this have on East-West interactions down the line?
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