What does ancient silk look like?

Dr. dig responds:

When archaeologists find the remains of ancient silk, the material has usually lost most of its original moisture, so it is dry, brittle, and very fragile. Moisture is what makes the clothes we wear soft and flexible -- when material dries out, it loses its ability to fold and bend without tearing.

If the silk was dyed, it would also have lost most of its color over the years.

Depending on where the material was found and what object or objects were in contact with it while it was buried, the cloth may become stained, or there may be holes from bugs and moths.