The Fascinating History of Silk If you’re like me, you just love the soothing sensual feeling of silk against your skin. We’re talking about real silk here, the silk that only made its way to Europe in the 13th century. And to think that the Chinese had used silk for thousands of years before that. We owe the invention of silk to the Chinese. There’s evidence they used silk during the Neolithic, in the 4th millennium BC The precise moment of this wonderful invention is lost in time. Legend has it that it was the wife of the Chinese mythological emperor Huangdi (who ascended to the throne in 2697 BC) that taught Chinese peasants how to make silk. It was considered quite a miracle that the thread of the cocoon of the silkworm could be reeled off and spun. From just one cocoon you can get a sil...