Amber

Amber is a symbol of happiness and health. And I am pretty sure, you must know it very well already if you’re following our blog. But if not, subscribe to our blog and get the latest updates and the most interesting facts and information about amber and lapis lazuli straight to your box.

Check also our posts on Amber Gemstone Meaning or Amber Healing Properties to learn even more about amber. Believe me, even if you are an inveterate skeptic, a simple glance at earlier description of this stone’s history will make you agree that all its properties have something magical and inexplicable.

Thousands of years ago people were fascinated by the extraordinary, inexplicable properties of the golden pebbles found on beaches and in coastal forests. The stone burnt when cast into the fire, exuding a pleasant resinous smell and aromatic smoke, and, when rubbed, attracted various small light items towards itself as if by magic.

The stone interior would often hide small undamaged plants and insects, which must also have found their way inside by magic. That sufficed to arouse the curiosity of primitive man, with admiration & respect for this unusual gem. It is no wonder man started attributing magical powers to amber.

– The Great Book of Amber by Elzbieta Mierzwinska

In ancient times there was a belief: if you put a piece of amber on the chest of your wife, then during the sleep she will admit in all her bad deeds. How convenient, huh? Of course, at Nammu we do not believe in this particular fact to be true, but we, for sure, know what are the roots of it. In any case, you can always buy a piece of amber and test it!

Following story can be stimulated by curative properties of amber to pull negative emotions and absorb the painful symptoms. In ancient times through, it was necessary to perform these rituals very carefully, because any manipulations with precious stones and other ritual objects were considered a witch appendage. It simply wasn’t manly and was a little bit dangerous for the social status.

Amber is usually called the magical resin of pre-historic trees. This comes from the very origins of amber emergence. Check our What Is Amber post to learn more about how amber was actually created. If you know about how amber was created, then the fact that amber is associated with the smell of the forest and shine of the sun is quite obvious for you. It’s believed that amber warm golden color clarifies thoughts and helps to implement plans.

Amber magical properties are especially extolled by representatives of creative professions. Artists, writers, designers … all of them are quite superstitious and believe that jewelry made with this stone is endowed with strong amber magical properties and help the wearer to create something unique and beautiful.

In pre-Christian times small recess in the amber stone were considered a habitat of the good spirits, so amber with dimples was valued very highly. In those stones, that resembled the shape of a head, ancients were making holes and worn them around the neck as amulets.

In the modern world its naturally that a round polished transparent amber, where you can see a world of bright rainbow colors, is more valued.  By the way, number of business representatives and finance world gurus wear amber around their necks or just carry a piece of amber  in their pocket “for a good luck.” Angela Merkel, for example, is one of the most dedicated amber fans.

In addition to physical healing as we said previously in our post about amber healing properties, amber gives a lot of pleasant changes with amber magical properties on psychological, emotional and mental level.

If you’re familiar with Chakras, you might find it interesting to know that the gold and orange shades of Amber stimulate the Navel or Sacral Chakra. Gold or orange crystals are used to unblock the energy flow and restore one’s sense of balance, understanding and appreciation of life. When the Sacral Chakra is in balance one has grace, feels pleasure in life, and experiences the flexibility to “go with the flow” and do so in good spirit.

The yellow hues within Amber activate the Solar Plexus Chakra, the energy distribution center and the chakra of relationships.  When physically balanced, it provides the strength to fight infections, frees one of allergic reactions, and utilizes nutrients ingested. If the Solar Plexus is spiritually imbalanced, one may feel fear – of the disappointment or displeasure of others, or to subordinating one’s life and pleasures to the will of others.

Opened Chakras help in an acquisition of self-confidence, self-realization, the awakening of creative bases, ability to form opinions and to convey them to others properly. For business people, wearing amber jewelry in the throat area as talisman, gives independence and freedom.

#Amber is a stone for people born under the sign of Leo. #AmberMagicalProperties Click To Tweet

When talking about astrology, Women-Lions  need to wear  ring and earrings with amber as a talisman. It will save them from the evil eye. Men-Lions should wear cuff-links, pins for the necktie and amber key chains to increase vitality and to strengthen intuition.

Generally amber is suitable for almost all signs except the earth sign of Taurus. However, even if a colleague of mine is Taurus, she have a bracelet made of green amber and feels great with it. Don’t forget that Taurus is considered to be one of the most creative personalities, who needs artistic energy nourishment.

Energy of a raw stone has a great amber magical properties: it gives beauty, longevity, attracts true love. This stone charges optimism, heals from depression, gives vivacity and cheerful mood. Amber necklace as a gift to the bride is a symbol of marital happiness. In Italy, this stone is considered an amulet of fertility and wealth.

In ancient Greece, people believed that amber has a sun power and distinctive features of Venus. Pieces of stone, with insects or leaves inside, have been considered a powerful magical tool that could do both good and bad deeds.

Earlier, to protect the house from fire and lightning people kept a few items of amber in rooms. Following tradition is still in place. Currently, it is quite popular, in Eastern European countries especially, to have trees, paintings’ reproductions and other artworks made of amber placed in working offices.

Amber was also attributed for antidemonic amber magical properties – so in the Middle Ages  people made rosaries and other religious items from this stone. A belief that children who wear amber around the neck grow up healthy and strong has been preserved up to now.

Modern astrologers and healers assess amber as the creativity stone that strengthens faith and optimism. If amber is located  in a contact with the body for a long time, especially in the form of necklaces, pendants or earrings – it will output the astral slags.

Experts in the field of alternative medicine claim that amber jewelry provide an aura protection and thus help to protect from negative influences (spoilage, the evil eye and curses), as well as to get rid of existing ones. Thus, amber magical properties are fueling the body with a missing energy, which is a foundation of a human health.

Natural amber jewelry will strengthen your intuition and faith in yourself, will help to achieve any goal.

Amber will also strengthen and connect you to your inner wisdom. It will enhance your psychic gift of clear feeling. It will stimulate your intellect and enhance your understanding of a lot of things.

This stone will also help you with your decision-making and with moving forward in life. It will also help you bring your love life to the next level of your relationship!

Shop with Nammu – purchase 100% Natural Certified Amber.

 

In 2016, world’s scientific society was shocked with the discovery made in 99-million-year-old amber. Well-preserved dinosaur tail, including bones, soft tissue, and even feathers, has been found in amber.

The paper A Feathered Dinosaur Tail with Primitive Plumage Trapped in Mid-Cretaceous Amber has been published in the journal Current Biology by Lida Xing, Ryan C. McKellar, Xing Xu, Gang Li, Ming Bai, W. Scott Persons IV, Tetsuto Miyashita, Michael J. Benton, Jianping Zhang, Alexander P. Wolfe, Qiru Yi, Kuowei Tseng, Hao Ran, Philip J. Currie.

The study’s first author, Lida Xing from the China University of Geosciences in Beijing, discovered the remarkable fossil at an amber market in Myitkina, Myanmar.

[Ryan C. McKellar and Lida Xing]

The study of this stunning discovery published in the renowned scientific journal Current Biology, explains that the specimen captured in the amber piece was a carnivorous dinosaur from more than 99 million years ago in the territory that is now Myanmar.

The 99-million-year-old amber had already been polished for jewelry and the seller had thought it was plant material. Lida Xing commented back then:

I noticed that it contained a vertebrate animal, probably a theropod. And not a plant, as was thought.

And indeed, on closer inspection and after exhaustive studies, it turned out to be the tail of a feathered dinosaur about the size of a sparrow. Lida Xing was able to establish where it had come from by tracking down the amber miner who had originally dug out the specimen.

[Photographs by Lida Xing and Royal Saskatchewan Museum]

According to scientific article in Current Biology, while individual dinosaur-era feathers have been found in amber, and evidence for feathered dinosaurs is captured in fossil impressions, this was the first time that scientists were able to clearly associate well-preserved feathers with a dinosaur, and in turn gain a better understanding of the evolution and structure of dinosaur feathers.

The semitranslucent mid-Cretaceous amber sample, roughly the size and shape of a dried apricot, captures one of the earliest moments of differentiation between the feathers of birds of flight and the feathers of dinosaurs.

Inside the lump of resin is a 1.4-inch appendage covered in delicate feathers, described as chestnut brown with a pale or white underside.

[Photograph by R.C. McKellar, Royal Saskatchewan Museum]

CT scans and microscopic analysis of the sample revealed eight vertebrae from the middle or end of a long, thin tail that may have been originally made up of more than 25 vertebrae.

Based on the structure of the tail, researchers believe it belongs to a juvenile coelurosaur, part of a group of theropod dinosaurs that includes everything from tyrannosaurs to modern birds.

[Photograph by Lida Xing]

The co-author Ryan McKellar, of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, told the BBC News website:

This is the first time we’ve found dinosaur material preserved in amber.  We can be sure of the source because the vertebrae are not fused into a rod or pygostyle as in modern birds and their closest relatives. Instead, the tail is long and flexible, with keels of feathers running down each side.

Dr. McKellar said there are signs the dinosaur still contained fluids when it was incorporated into the tree resin that eventually formed the amber. This indicates that it could even have become trapped in the sticky substance while it was still alive.

Another co-author Prof. Michael Benton, from the University of Bristol, added:

It’s amazing to see all the details of a dinosaur tail – the bones, flesh, skin, and feathers – and to imagine how this little fellow got his tail caught in the resin, and then presumably died because he could not wrestle free.

Kachin State, in north-eastern Myanmar, where the specimen was found, has been producing amber for 2,000 years. But because of the large quantity of insects preserved in the deposits, over the last 20 years it has become a focus for scientists who study ancient arthropods. Check our post on How Old is Amber to learn more about amber deposits and their age around the world.

In 2016, 99-million-year-old #dinosaur tail, including bones, soft tissue, and even feathers was found in #amber. #DinosaurTail Click To Tweet

According to Xing, “although the northern Myanmar environment during the Middle Cretaceous has not been much studied, based on the contents trapped in amber, it is believed to have been a rainforest with trees similar to a species called Kauri.” After this great discovery, Lida Xing has continued to find interesting specimens in the market of Myanmar amber, which has led to an investigation of the first bird wings in prehistory. Check our amber Amber Inclusions post to learn more about other insect, flowers and feathers found in amber.

[Photograph by Lida Xing]

Dr. Paul Barrett, from London’s Natural History Museum, called the specimen a “beautiful fossil”, describing it as a “really rare occurrence of vertebrate material in amber”.

He told BBC News:

Feathers have been recovered in amber before, so that aspect isn’t new, but what this new specimen shows is the 3D arrangement of feathers in a Mesozoic dinosaur/bird for the first time, as almost all of the other feathered dinosaur fossils and Mesozoic bird skeletons that we have are flattened and 2D only, which has obscured some important features of their anatomy.

The new amber specimen confirms ideas from developmental biologists about the order in which some of the detailed features of modern feathers, such as barbs and barbules (the little hooks that hold the barbs together so that the feather can form a nice neat vane), would have appeared also.

[Photograph by R.C. McKellar, Royal Saskatchewan Museum]

Amber is a fascinating stone.

This raw piece of million year old resin could give you a freedom and take it from you in the Ancient Rome. With the equal simplicity. It was a reason for the development of the whole Eurasian continent due to its amber road.

It is a perfect investment and an amazing piece of history that can be passed through generations allowing you to stay in minds of your descendants for hundreds of years. In the same way as amber did. For thousands of years. Shop with Nammu, buy yourself a jewelry with a history.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Join us if you want to know even more about amber, its beauty, history, properties and latest news.

Wherever you go, love is in the air today. And we at Nammu, would like to send our best wishes to you on this wonderful day!

Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and caring.  It could be platonic love between friends, family love from a child to a parent or romantic love between partners. Even if it’s only for a single day, many people pull out all the stops to make this day special by any means possible.

Not only now, but also thousands of years ago, people were doing their best to demonstrate their love and affection to their beloved ones. Using amber for these purposes was common throughout ages due to the unique gemstone meaning amber has.

Amber Gemstone Meaning

Amber is one of the world’s oldest and most coveted treasures, a “Gold of the Sea” intrinsically formed by light and life, preserved by time and washed upon the shores for humanity, a talisman of beauty, protection and renewal. It has been portrayed as drops of the sun, tears of the gods, hardened honey, and sunlight solidified, and is as desired today as it was in the most ancient cultures, utilized as far back as the Stone Age for its pleasing warmth of color, value in adornment, and its magical and medicinal properties.

Throughout centuries amber was used mystically to bring the energies of patience, protection, psychic shielding, romantic love, sensuality, purification, balance, healing and calmness to those who wear or carry it. It is considered a good luck charm for love and marriage. For example, all people who want to love and be loved. With help of the amber talismans you can attract love into your life.

Talismans are objects that have been empowered (charged) with specific energies to be embed to the wearer. When possible, natural objects with their own similar powers are embed with the powers making the talisman exceptionally strong. Since ancient times, people have empowered the amber stone to be a protective talismans.

Some of the best ways to benefit from the energy of amber are to wear it as jewelry or to have it as a small carving in your home decor.

 The golden brilliance of amber has inspired many traditions to embrace positive qualities that came from the stone.

Amber is associated with the color energies of Gold. Gold color rays bring success, enthusiasm, happiness, and power. It is traditionally the color of kings, riches, and the sun.

Gold touches a deep part of our minds, conjuring up images of mystical places and adventure. Light Gold crystals provide us with the simple pleasures of life – cheerfulness and contentment, while Dark Gold crystals have a deeper, more pronounced sense of devotion and commitment, providing us with a mature enthusiasm and ability to share a lifelong commitment of care and love.

As a love crystal, golden-orange Amber is a symbol of beauty and tenderness, a good-luck talisman for increasing natural radiance and attracting lasting love. It may be used to call in a twin soul, or for protection against negative outside influences and interference. It is a wonderful gem for assuring promises and has been used in the renewal of marriage vows.

Believed to “electrify” desire, Amber is credited with helping to cure impotence and frigidity, and to aid female fertility and male potency.

Amber is an exceptional rubbing stone for discharging negative moods, relieving anxiety, or deflecting energy from others. It warms the more it is touched and generates a positive, uplifting current of energy. Carry in the pocket, wear in jewelry, or use in rosary or prayer beads.

As a stone that looks like it was produced by sun-ray, amber is often thought as a stone that brings joy and happiness in western traditions. Amber has instant effect of making people feel more spirited and happy, like when the sun of spring and summer lighting up the earth after winter. This is often turned into a charm that  marketed as the happiness or joy charms, and is especially good if you want to feel young.

Amber  is also a stone that lifts up spirit, and amber stone meaning was associated with sun that helps people feel spirited in the middle of bleak or gloomy situations. It also encourages optimism and, in the end, ability to solve problems and face difficulties.

Amber has a lot of great qualities that will help in healing your physical and emotional body. It will cure emotional and physical ailments that you didn’t know you got until they’re already gone! Check our Amber Healing Properties post to learn more about healing influence of amber onto the human’s body.

Amber will also strengthen and connect you to your inner wisdom. It will enhance your psychic gift of clear feeling. It will stimulate your intellect and enhance your understanding of a lot of things.

This stone will also help you with your decision-making and with moving forward in life. It will also help you bring your love life to the next level of your relationship!

Shop with Nammu – purchase 100% Natural Certified Amber.

 

Do you know what is amber stone and how amber is created? This and hundreds of other questions were bothering minds of mankind for centuries. Today, we are going to provide you with everything you need to know before and after purchasing amber jewelry.

The main thing you need to know about amber stone, is the fact, that amber is not a stone. Paradox, right? Amber is a fossilized resin of prehistoric trees that grew on Earth millions of years ago. Concretely in the case of the Baltic amber, it comes from a variety of pines. Pines, that disappeared millions of year ago from the surface of the earth. Therefore, although it is sometimes called amber stone, in fact it has organic origins. If you want to know more about what is amber, check our very first post.

Amber according to various sources appears in the upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) period that is around 323 – 298 million  years ago. Can you imagine that? Imagine the incredibly powerful energy this amber contains!

Deposits and accumulations of fossil resins, occur worldwide, but as we know, the most sought after are Paleogene amber deposits (= succinite) occurring in Ukraine and in the Baltic Sea coast.

The Baltic Sea region has been the original source for amber since Prehistoric times. Although it is not known exactly when Baltic amber was first used, it can be linked to the Stone Age populations. Amber of Baltic origin was found in Egyptian tombs that date back to 3200 B.C., establishing the archaeological barter and trade routes. Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have some 100 Neolithic burial sites in which amber is included. European sea trade was dominated by the Vikings from 800-1000 A.D., with the “gold from the north”, and Scandinavia continues to be a major exporter of amber today.

Baltic #amber constitutes not less than 90% of the amber bulk already collected worldwide. #BalticAmber #NammuEnglish Click To Tweet

Baltic amber nowadays constitutes not less than 90% of the bulk of amber already collected throughout the world. Baltic amber consists at 98% of Pinus succinifera pine resin and there is no amber older than 35 million years.

Ukrainian amber by its occurrence is of the same age as Baltic amber. However, contrary to the Baltic amber, Ukrainian amber is quite rich with succinic acid, containing up to 6.84%. In Baltic amber the percentage is around 3.20-5.28%.

Moreover, the percentage of high quality amber in Ukraine is much higher than in Russia or Baltic countries. Due to its characteristics, it can be aligned to the Jutland amber – the highest quality grade Baltic amber. You can learn more about age and deposits of amber in different countries of the world from our How Old Is Amber post.

As we know, due to its organic origins, amber has an amazing property – for millions of years it can keep insects, small animals and particles of plants inside, preventing them from collapsing.

The remains of the crust, insects, feathers of birds, scraps of animal fur, spores and seeds of plants, and even drops of water (rain or dew), which did not evaporate, confirmed forever the impermeability of the “amber tomb.” In addition to these, air bubbles and various minerals are found in amber. Such substances preserved in amber are called inclusions.

The resin, flowing down the trunks of the pines, often became a trap for small inhabitants of the amber forest. Insects themselves sat down on the resin, attracted by its color and smell. Alternatively, they could have been taken down by a gust of wind, and also caught in amber drop that fell from a broken branch. Large insects burst from the resin, and the small ones were covered by the later resin inflows.

Not only insects and branches can be found in amber. Sometimes it is even possible to find small animals – for example, lizards. However, these are very rare inclusions – only seven lizards stored in amber were found around the world.

The oldest fossil remains found inside amber belong to the period of Lower Cretaceous and hold great scientific insight to environments of the past. These findings were made in the mountains of Lebanon, to the southeast of the country’s capital – Beirut. One of the earth’s oldest natural treasures, Lebanese amber, which contains the earliest known representatives of many insect groups, unlocks the secrets of a little-known world populated by dinosaurs, pterosaurs and cycads.

Amber and amber inclusions were increasingly important for making discoveries and conclusions about the life that existed on Earth millions of years ago. And this is what makes amber so special. Check amber inclusions, to learn more about stunning million-years-old floral and animal inclusions found in amber.

When it comes to color of amber, we must say that natural amber is really very rich in color. Nowadays, specialists differentiate about 400 different shades that amber can have. Without any doubts, it confirms: amber can accept almost all the colors known to us.

The color of amber is influenced by the conditions under which amber was formed: where the resin fell, whether the tree was burning, even from which side the resin was draining, from the northern, southern, western or eastern. Everything affects the formula of amber, and therefore, the color. Learn more about colors of amber and circumstances of it emergence as well as rarity in our Amber color post.

The shape of amber depends on what happened to the tree, i.e. how it was damaged. If the branch of the amber pine was broken, then amber solidified in the form of a drop. If the resin flowed down the trunk, it turned out to be flowing and icicles. If the tree was cracked or formed voids between the annual rings, which filled the resin, then amber could solidify in the form of a lens.

Depending on the color of the stone, its transparency and compliance in the process of processing, there are following types of amber:

• Transparent is a gem with a high level of transparency, obviously, which can be easily polished. The color of amber varies from lemon (almost transparent) to dark brown. It is highly appreciated, because of its beauty.
• Translucent – a stone of yellow or dark yellow color. Sometimes it can be red or bluish. The color is slightly opaque, but has translucent layers. Can be polished without problems.
• Bastard – opaque stone, which on some thin layers has some transparency. Has an unusual yellowish hue, on the whole surface there are spots of dark color. More or less transparent. Can be polished without problems.
• Layered – the color is white. Usually is not polished.
• Foamy – outwardly the stone differs from ordinary amber. Its name came from the large amount of frozen foam. Has a white opaque hue. It is very porous, due to which it is very light. Is not polished typically.
• Contaminated – it is black or gray. Usually do not polish. Transparency is extremely low.
• Overburden – it differs a large crust from oxidation, has a red tint. Can be polished, but can not be polished badly. Can shine through.
• Landscape – Combined in one stone, different types of amber can make real landscapes. That’s why such amber is called landscape.

Learn more about colors of amber and circumstances of it emergence as well as rarity in our Amber color post.

When having amber in your possession, you need to know that amber can grow dull with time. So if you keep it long enough, do not be upset, but better find out how to bring back the stone shine. It is recommended to adhere to several simple rules for storing amber and wearing, so that it does not lose its original appearance for the longest time, does not become cloudy and damaged.

Before you learn how to store amber products, and also effectively care for them, you need to learn that this sun stone is one of the most delicate and soft gems used in jewelry. Amazingly warm, a small piece of the sun plays with all shades of honey color, golden yellow, warm brown and red. Amber is able to please the eye with its overflows and a truly divine, mysterious light. At the same time amber is extremely capricious, both in terms of use, and in terms of storage and cleaning. Therefore, it is necessary to treat with amber carefully, without in any way harming him.

To learn how to properly store, wear and clean amber, check or How to Take Care of Amber post.

As it is with the world, humans always find new ways to copy nature. During the early 18th century a group of scientists found a way to synthesize amber. Natural materials were used to make amber copies and slowly moved into the market. These pieces were used as jewelry and, naturally, their price was high.

Nowadays fake Baltic amber has flooded the market, and most people do not even realize it. People intend to purchase these amber pieces and consider them as genuine because they cannot tell the difference. Sadly, many of these people are exploited as merchants who sell fake amber usually do so at a high price.

Of course, any ordinary person can be deceived and may not be able to tell the difference. However, a person with a good understanding of its texture and qualities, as well as characteristics of the stone, can differentiate fake amber from real amber. Based on our vast experience as a shop that specializes on the sale of amber products, at Nammu we have created the complete guide for you on how to detect fake amber.

When talking about characteristics of amber that can help identify the counterfeiting, we should talk about the natural amber properties. Since the discovery of its nature, amber was continuously surprising scientific community  by revealing more and more of its hidden properties.

According to Mohs’ scale amber ranges from 2 to 3. It means that amber is relatively soft stone: it can be scratched with a knife.  So, you should be very careful wearing amber. Due to this quality it both can be easily broken if hit or if it falls down.

Amber  melts at the temperature of 315 – 350 Cº.  When left for a long period of time without body contact, it oxidizes under the influence of the oxygen in the air. Moreover, when polished, it reveals a very specific electromagnetic property of attracting pieces. But to learn more, you need to check our What is Amber post.

Since the Paleolithic era (2.6 million years ago), amber played an important role in human life and death. People all around the world were using amber for centuries as it is the first known traded stone. The first known documented appearance of amber dates back to the times of the early second-millennium BC, what is 2000 years Before Christ, in Mesopotamia. If you are interested in learning more about the role of amber in the development of the world and place it took in history of ancient nations, check our ancient amber post.

Ancient Egyptians were calling amber a sacal what is actually simply meaning the “rock”.  It is probably the first documented guessing about the nature of amber.

According to the Pliny the Elder, Romans knew precisely what origins of amber were and therefore had a specific name for it – succinum. Consequently, that gave a rise to the current name of the most important healing ingredient in amber – succinic acid. Check our previous post, to learn more about effects succinic acid has on the body and health.

When it comes to China, amber name has obtained an exclusively specific meaning. Check here – Amber name – to learn more about it and many other names for amber various nations had throughout history. It is very revealing to know how they understood and lived this gemstone.

Probably none of the precious stones has so much indications for medical applications as amber. Even in ancient times amber was declared almost a panacea for all diseases.

It was used to cure the severe head, neck and throat pain according to Hippocrate. Wearing amber bracelets was beneficial to sufferers of rheumatism and arthritis. Reduced fatigue and feelings of general weariness. Even Martin Luther carried a piece of amber in his pocket as a protection against kidney stones. Following use had a significant reasoning behind it, check our Amber Healing Properties post to learn how amber can boost your health and what is the secret behind its properties.

This raw piece of million year old resin could give you a freedom and take it from you in the Ancient Rome. With the equal simplicity. It was a reason for the development of the whole Eurasian continent due to its amber road. It is a perfect investment and an amazing piece of history that can be passed through generations allowing you to stay in minds of your descendants for hundreds of years. In the same way as amber did. For thousands of years. Shop with Nammu, buy yourself a jewelry with a history.

Hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Join us if you want to know even more about amber, its beauty, history and properties.

Have you ever heard about Silk Road? I am sure you did. And you know what? Not only silk was transferred throughout the whole Eurasian continent. Amber had its own trading routes called Amber Road.

Archaeological discoveries in different parts of the world indicate that amber was the object of much interest as early as the Stone Age, by the end of the period known as the middle Paleolithic. However, it is difficult for scientists to define what were the precise layout of the roads on which this alluring substance was transported, either as a raw material or as manufactured artifacts.

Deposits and accumulations of fossil resins, occur worldwide, but as we know, the most sought after were and still are Paleogene amber deposits (= succinite) occurring in Ukraine and in the Baltic Sea coast. To learn more about age of amber in different countries, check our post on How Old Is Amber.

The most sought after are Paleogene #amber deposits occurring in Ukraine and in the Baltic Sea coast. #AmberRoad #BalticAmber Click To Tweet

Ukrainian amber was not as popular as amber from Baltic shores in ancient times. Therefore, typically, amber from the territories of Baltic Sea coast, also known as “Amber Shores“, flowed towards other social cultures in the distant countries of Southern Europe and Asia.

As we said before, the first products from amber known to humanity were produced in the Paleolithic, but only in the Neolithic (6 thousand years ago), amber became a subject of trade. In that times, Baltic amber was especially appreciated for its beauty and sometimes called “the gold of the North”. And indeed, it highly reflected the truth: amber was as valuable as gold. For example, Pliny the Elder mentions in his works how highly appreciated the transparent amber of red and, especially, of golden yellow color was in Ancient Rome.

Figures from such amber or amber pieces could be exchanged for a tall and strong slave. Check our previous post about ancient amber to learn more about its history and use in various ancient countries.

The Occurrence of Amber Road

Typically, when talking about Amber Road people tend to mean an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber from coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.  Contrary to the popular belief, following, is not the only way amber was traded. We know for sure that amber was as well transferred and traded in various Asian countries.

How does the amber road appeared? There is a vast historical evidence suggesting that after the glaciers recessed, populations arriving from southwestern Europe, from the circle of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea circle, the Asian-western circle and others, began to settle along the Baltic shores. They brought forward the benefits of civilization and the knowledge of safe routes in trading with their native cultural societies to local populations.  Afterwards, amber trade was spread around the whole Eurasian continent.

Prehistoric trade routes between Northern and Southern Europe were defined by the amber trade. As an important commodity, amber was transported from the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts overland by way of the Vistula and Dnieper rivers to Italy, Greece, the Black Sea, Syria and Egypt over a period of thousands of years.

At the beginning of our era, in Rome, amber became so fashionable that it is customary to talk about the then-dominant “amber fashion”. It was worn as beads by all layers of the population. Romans used amber to adorn their beds, to make small pieces of vessels, busts, figures and even balls, which were used in summer to cool hands.  In antiquity, amber was prized above precious stones and metals and was particularly popular in the Mediterranean countries.

As amber was extracted mostly on the coast of the Baltic Sea, it is not surprising that this sea attracted to its shores the merchants of ancient Phoenicia, Greece and Rome, as a magnet.

Amber Road Existence Evidence

[An amber necklace from Archaic Greece, 600-480 B.C. Potidaea, ancient Macedon. British Museum, London]

The ties of the countries of the Mediterranean and the Black Seas with the countries of North-Western Europe date back to the Bronze Age (1750-1600 – 500 BC). Archaeological findings of amber, jewelry, weapons, tools, coins of two thousand years old allowed to trace the actual Amber Road.

Among the most valuable findings we can name:

• The breast ornament of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen (ca. 1333–1324 BC) contains large Baltic amber beads.
• Products and jewelry from amber were found during excavations on the island of Crete, in the mine tombs of Mycenaean culture, built around 1600 – 800 BC. Unfortunately, in Ancient Greece, amber was in vogue only during a relatively short period of close trade ties with the North. Therefore, it does not occur in the Greek graves of classical time.
• The quantity of amber in the Royal Tomb of Qatna, Syria, is unparalleled for known second millennium BC sites in the Levant and the Ancient Near East.
• Amber was sent from the North Sea to the temple of Apollo at Delphi as an offering.
• Homer in the Odyssey (VIII century BC) mentions a Phoenician merchant who traded “a gold necklace in an amber frame” and etc.

The imported character of amber in the Mediterranean is confirmed by the data of its elemental composition. It turned out that the Baltic amber contains from 3 to 8% of succinic acid, whereas in amber from the regions of Sicily, Italy and Spain, the amount of this acid does not exceed 1%. To learn more about succinic acid and its influence onto the human’s body check our previous post.

Continental Amber Road

For a long time it remained unknown how the trade relations between the countries were realized (sea or river). However, nowadays we know clearly that amber was transported by means of river communications connecting Baltic Sea with Black and Mediterranean.

It is likely that the “Amber Shores” and Southern Europe towards central Danube and the Black Sea communicated by stages with each other on waterways such as Elbe, Oder, Vistula, Bug, Pregolya, Neman, Dwina/Daugava, Volga, Dnieper, Dniester, Boh and their tributaries of these rivers.

Currently, there are around few main continental routes for amber trade that can be clearly described.

One of the most famous descriptions of continental amber road comes from the Roman historian – Pliny the Elder. In Roman times, a main route ran south from the Baltic coast through the land of the Boii (modern Czech Republic and Slovakia) to the head of the Adriatic Sea (modern Gulf of Venice).

At the beginning of Nero’s reign, demand for amber was so great that to a obtain a supply for gladiatorial exhibitions, a Roman knight, Pytheas, was sent to the north in search of actual source. Some historians believe it to be one of the most significant historical events of the Roman era because it opened trade with Baltic cultures.

Pliny describes the knight’s influence on the use of amber in Rome after his succesful expedition:

The knight traversed both the trade route and the coasts, and brought back so plentiful a supply that the nets used for keeping the beasts away from the parapet of the amphitheater were knotted with pieces of amber.

In all, about 13,000 pounds of amber were brought back as a gift to Nero from German kin. Nero not only adorned the circus with amber, but made it available to gladiators to wear as amulets or charms on their breasts to assure their victory. One gladiator’s amulet of amber was found with the words “We will conquer” carved on it.

The trade in amber, like any commodity, had periods of recovery and recession. So, in the IV century BC for a number of reasons, one of which was the expansion of the militant Celts, the trading ties of the Roman Empire with the Baltic countries were interrupted and resumed only in the I – II centuries AC.  Amber at that time in Rome again came into fashion. However, at the end of the II century AC, because of the wars of the Romans, the trade routes of amber again declined sharply and have never reached their former heyday.

Based on the similarity between the amber found in Britain and the tombs of Mycenae, the researchers concluded that some of the amber was sent to Britain from the main trade route. Some of the amber, which was exported from Gdansk as part of trade caravans, crossed the Cuban, the Tigris along the Vistula, the Bug, the Pripyat, the Dniester and the Don. Hence, amber entered the markets of the Middle East, mainly in Persia.

[Necklace, Italic, 550–400 B.C. Amber and gold. Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum]

Another route passed along the Vistula, Sanu, Dniester and ended at the Black Sea, where amber came to the markets of Egypt, Greece and Southern Italy.

The fourth way, about 400 km long, came from the Baltic along the Neman river, then the caravans were transported to the tributaries of the Dnieper, and further along almost 600 km the amber sailed down the Dnieper to the sea. It was “long-suffering and terrible”, as historians called it. Along the river arteries, amber penetrated the Urals Mountains, in the Kama region and beyond. Beads made from Baltic amber were repeatedly found in burial grounds on Kama and in a number of Mongolian burials.

Baltic amber was sold at the markets of Veliky Novgorod (Russia) and other cities. The Russians not only traded amber, but also processed it. The remains of the workshops of amber products were discovered during excavations of the old Ryazan. Recently in Novgorod, during excavations on the ancient Lubianicka Street, amber found, testify to the presence of trade ties between Novgorodians and the Baltic states.

From the Black Sea region, trade could continue to Asia along the Silk Road, another ancient trade route.

Sea Amber Road

[Pendant: Ship with Figures. Etruscan, 600-575 B.C. J. Paul Getty Museum]

In addition to the mainland, there was a few sea routes and we are going to tell you about one of the most fascinating.

In the middle of the IV century BC one of the most remarkable journeys of antiquity was undertaken – the voyage of Pytheas of Massalia (modern Marseilles) to the northern shores of the Atlantic.

As already mentioned, the Greeks used to be content only with legendary information about Eridan river, near the mouth of which amber was found. Pytheas’ swimming brought clarity to this question. Diodorus and Pliny, from the words of Pytheas, write about the shores and islands near Gallia Celtica (modern France), where local residents collected amber in large quantities.

According to The Natural History by Pliny the Elder:

Pytheas says that the Gutones, a people of Germany, inhabit the shores of an estuary of the Ocean called Mentonomon, their territory extending a distance of six thousand stadia. That, at one day’s sail from this territory, is the Isle of Abalus, upon the shores of which, amber is thrown up by the waves in spring, it being an excretion of the sea in a concrete form. As, also, that the inhabitants use this amber by way of fuel, and sell it to their neighbors, the Teutones.

The Atlantic Ocean, reached by Pytheas on two 50-ponder ships with a high stern, was unknown and full of mystery. The sea was stormy, foggy and cold, and in the north it was even covered with ice. Many peoples with whom Pytheas was to meet, enjoyed the bad reputation of savages.

Thus, Pytheas gave the first, though brief description of the area of ​​amber deposits in the Baltic States. There is a lot of fictional here, which cast doubt on the very journey. It is possible that Pytheas in his own interests tried to confuse those who decided to undertake such a trip after him. However, Pytheas’ exaggeration of the danger of his trip to the land of amber rather heated interest in these lands.

 

Tourist Amber Road

Amber gave name to the most important North-South connection of Central Europe. The ancient trade route coalesces countries and nations between the Baltic and the Mediterranean Sea. Travelling along the Amber Road is discovering European history and culture.

Museums, archaeological sites, monumental castles, splendid palaces and historic cities are linked through this route. From St. Petersburg, capital of the Russian Tsars, to the outskirts of Venice, the Amber Road connects some of the most attractive tourism destinations of Europe. The tourist route is stretching along the Baltic coast from Kaliningrad to Latvia.

The tourist amber route is stretching along the Baltic coast from Kaliningrad to Latvia. #AmberRoad #Amber Click To Tweet

“Amber Road” objects are:

• Mizgiris Amber Gallery-Museum in Nida;
• Amber Bay in Juodkrante;
• Lithuania Minor History Museum;
• Amber collection place in Karkle, Lithuania;Amber Museum in Palanga;
• Open amber workshop in Palanga;
• Amber museum in Gdańsk;
• Samogitian Alka in Sventoji.

Ungrateful fame went for amber along the old “amber roads”. These were the roads of wars and robberies, tears and misfortunes. In our time, amber contributes to the development of good-neighborly relations between peoples. If you want to obtain yourself a true piece of Baltic amber, like ancient people did throughout ages, check Nammu amber collection – Best 100% Natural Amber Jewelry on the market.

References: Amber Road (Wikipeadia), The Natural History (Wikipedia), Trade Routes of Amber (Kaliningrad Regional amber Museum), Amber Collection (The J. Paul Getty Museum).