Allusions to the fabric in the Old Testament show that it was known in western Asia in biblical times.[5] Scholars believe that starting in the 2nd century BC the Chinese established a commercial network aimed at exporting silk to the West.[5] Silk was used, for example, by the Persian court and its king, Darius III, when Alexander the Great conquered the empire.[5] Even though silk spread rapidly across Eurasia, with the possible exception of Japan its production remained exclusively Chinese for three millennia.