Silkworm artifacts suggest early cultivation

Four Neolithic Age stone sculptures of silkworms were recently discovered in Xiaxian county in Yuncheng, Shanxi province.

"They are the earliest stone sculptures of silkworm chrysalis found in China so far. The discovery provides evidence that people in Xiaxian county had begun raising silkworms as early as 6,000 years ago," said Duan Tianjing, deputy dean of the School of Archaeology at Jilin University. "The exquisite carving of granite may also indicate their love and attention to the silkworm."