Silk: The Secret of Mongol Success

When we picture medieval warriors, we imagine knights in heavy metal armor. But the Mongols

— who built the largest land empire in history — conquered the world wearing silk.

Not because they lacked armor. But because silk was strategy. Mongol soldiers

wore tightly woven silk shirts under their leather and lamellar armor. And when an enemy

arrow struck, the arrowhead often didn’t rip the silk. Instead, the silk wrapped

around the arrow, slowing it down and preventing it from breaking inside the body.

That meant the arrow could be pulled out cleanly — sometimes just by twisting the silk — reducing

bleeding and infection. In a world where infections killed more soldiers than weapons,