Baltic Amber Social History

Amber was been used by Stone Age sun worshippers, early Greeks and early Romans, who believed that wearing amber kept one healthy and young.

Grave-finds from all countries around the Baltic Sea prove that amber was a common trade object to Stone Age man.

Since prehistoric times amber has thus been a readily sought after material. Its color, luster, warmth, aroma, electric properties and background placed amber in a special category among ornamental stones.

The earliest known written record of amber, dated to 883 BC was discovered in Egypt carved on a stone obelisk. It reads:

"Ashur-Nasir-Apal, the ruler of Assyria, sent his people to the land of amber where the seas wash amber ashore like copper…"

In the Baltic lands amber trade started in the New Stone Age. From Jutland and eastern Baltic countries including Lithuania where it was found, amber spread to Central and Eastern Europe reaching as far as Egypt. Beads of the Baltic amber were discovered in the pyramid of Tet and the tombs of pharaohs (3400-2400 BC) including Tutankhamun's.

During his excavations at Troy from 1871 to 1890, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found amber beads among other artifacts. Scientists established that this amber article was brought from the Baltic coast 3000 years ago. The archaeologist discovered the Baltic amber on the Isle of Crete when he uncovered the Micenaean domed tombs built around 1600-800 BC.

Amber was of great significance to the Assyrians, Egyptians, Etruscans, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. Ovid wrote that when Phaeton, a son of Phoebus, the Sun, convinced his father to allow him to drive the chariot of the Sun across the sky for a day he drove too close to the earth and set it on fire. To save the Earth, Jupiter struck Phaeton out of the sky with his thunderbolts and he died, plunging out of the sky. His mother and sister stricken by grief turned into trees whilst weeping and their tears dried by the sun turned into amber.

Another ancient writer, Nicias, said that amber was the essence of the setting sun, congealed in the sea and cast up on the shore.

Thales of Miletus 600BC gave details of experiments with amber and natural magnets. He and Anaxagoras thought that amber had a soul.

Theophrastus 32BC also experimented with amber.

Ancient Greeks referred to amber as "Elektra" due to its static electrical properties. The ancient Greek poet Homer was probably thinking of amber when he described the brilliant electron on his warriors' shields.

During 1-3 centuries AD, amber was intensively traded with the Roman Empire and its colonies over the so called Amber Route. Amber was highly valued by the Greeks and the Romans who called it the "Gold of the North". At the times of the Emperor Nero (54-68 AD) an amber statuette was worth more than a young healthy slave.

In his work Historia Naturalis, Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus) describes the times when a messenger sent by the Romans brought back so much amber that there was enough of it to decorate not only the amphitheatre but also the gladiators' clothes and arms.

On the way to the Roman Empire amber was stored at a number of intermediate points. Three hiding-places were uncovered in the neighbourhood of Wroclaw where about 3 tons of amber were found. By the end of the 3rd century trading routes to the east along the Dnepr, the Dnestr and the Prut rivers flourished, relations were established with Slavic settlements and Roman colonies on the coast of the Black Sea and later with the Byzantine Empire and Arab countries.

During the Middle Ages, prayer beads were exported as the main product of tooled Baltic amber. From the 16th century into the 18th century, bracelets, necklaces, containers, boxes, bowls, plates, flutes, buttons, mouth pieces for pipes, chess sets, watch cases and even luxury interior fittings were made using amber. The bulk of the amber trade took place in Königsberg and Danzig, modern Russia and Poland, respectively.

Amber was acclaimed to possess the power of healing. Worn as a necklace or charm, or carried around in small bags, amber was believed to be a remedy against such ailments as gout, rheumatism, sore throats, toothache and stomach-ache.

It was also believed that amber accelerated birth and was a good remedy against snake bites. To guard against the swapping of a new born baby, the infant it was often given an amber necklace to wear. Amber was supposed to contain magical powers, which is why heart shaped amber charms were carried to offer protection against evil forces and help against witchcraft.

Many people believed amber had the power to absorb negative energy. It was said to provide protection for the person of sensitive temperament, grounding them to the earth plane.

Some held that amber provided purification for the body allowing release of toxic fluids. It was further said that amber has the power to aid the digestive tract.