According to Procopius two sixth century Christian monks undertook an elaborate smuggling operation to provide Byzantium with the expertise to produce what?
A) steel
B) iron
C) ceramics
D) gun powder
E) silk
I think it might be silk but I am not too sure.
You're right. The monks were said to have smuggled silk out of India.
To find the answer to this question, we can start by understanding who Procopius was and his relevance to the topic. Procopius was a Byzantine historian who lived during the 6th century AD. He is primarily known for his work "The Secret History," in which he detailed events that occurred during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian.
In "The Secret History," Procopius mentions two Christian monks who undertook a smuggling operation to provide Byzantium with a particular expertise. To determine what expertise these monks were smuggling, we can examine the provided answer choices.
A) Steel: Steel was already produced in Byzantium during the 6th century, so this doesn't align with the smuggling operation mentioned by Procopius.
B) Iron: Iron was widely available during this time, so it is unlikely that monks would engage in an elaborate smuggling operation for iron.
C) Ceramics: Byzantium was known for its production of ceramics, particularly pottery. However, the information provided by Procopius does not point to ceramics as the expertise being smuggled.
D) Gunpowder: Gunpowder was not known or used in the Byzantine Empire during the 6th century, making it an unlikely expertise for the monks to smuggle.
E) Silk: Silk is the only option that aligns with historical knowledge. During this time, silk production was a closely guarded secret of China. Procopius, in "The Secret History," detailed the smuggling operation carried out by these monks to bring silkworm eggs or the expertise of sericulture to Byzantium. This secret operation allowed Byzantium to establish its silk industry and challenged China's monopoly on silk production.
Therefore, the correct answer is E) silk.