>>2042467
Anon, it's just a reference to the fact that silk was the premium fabric as far as Romans were concerned.
Here's the max prices of each from Diocletian edict:
>Combed linen, non-spun, first-class – 24 denarii for about 300 g
>Taranto wool, washed – 175 denarii for about 300 g
>White unprocessed silk – 12,000 denarii for approximately 300 g
Just to throw in some other famously expensive things to compare:
>Pepper – 800 denarii for about 300 g
>Saffron from Arabia – 2000 for about 300 g

So yeah, the Romans did assign superior value/quality to silk.