Amber, or succinite as a mineralogist may name it, hails from easy beginnings. It’s merely fossilized tree sap. For one thing so humble, it has managed to captivate the human creativeness for millennia. Perhaps it’s the very fact it’s simply formed into stunning kinds. Or possibly it is the expertise of holding one thing in your palms that was as soon as a part of a dwelling factor hundreds of thousands of years in the past. Regardless of the purpose, people have been fascinated by amber for a very long time. Not simply fairly to have a look at, for a lot of historic peoples it had unusual magical properties. So the place did this obsession with amber come from?

Myths about Amber’s Mysterious Origin

Historical Mediterranean cultures had been significantly enamored with  amber. Whereas amber may very well be present in Europe and Sicily, the vast majority of the  resin these peoples used got here from the  Baltic space. Relatively than being dug up, this amber washed up on seashores the place native craftsmen might gather it. Baltic amber was naturally tough, so the items had been pared all the way down to extra manageable sizes after which reduce, carved, and polished to be put into jewellery or ornaments.

In fact, historic folks had no thought the place this unusual however stunning materials got here from. The concept they had been dealing with 40 million-year-old tree sap was fully past their comprehension. Human curiosity meant rumors and myths quickly began to crop up as to amber’s origins. Some had been grand, some had been bizarre, and one particularly, was fairly gross.

Crystallized Tears

Ovid, a Roman author from the primary century AD, used the outdated story of the goddess Clymene and her tears to elucidate the place amber got here from. In Greek mythology, Clymene was an Oceanid (minor sea goddess) and the daughter of the Titan Iapetus. Clymene had a son, Phaethon, with the solar god  Helios. Someday Phaethon, desperate to show himself, took it upon himself to drive Helios’s chariot. Each morning Helios would drive his chariot throughout the sky, dragging the solar behind him.

Tragically, the younger god misplaced management of the chariot and risked crashing the solar into the earth. To cease the catastrophe,  Zeus was pressured to shoot Phaethon out of the sky with one in all his mighty thunderbolts. The younger god perished, and his mom and sisters had been so distraught by grief that they remodeled into poplar bushes. Amber was mentioned to be the crystallized remnants of their tears. The Greek title for amber was  electrum, which was derived from their phrase for the solar,  elector.

The Fall of Phaethon, by Jan Carel Van Eyck, circa 1636. The grief of Phaethon’s mom and sisters over his dying was so profound, they remodeled into poplar bushes, and their tears turned to amber. ( Public Area )

One other Greek delusion tied amber to the dying of the Greek hero  Meleager. Meleager’s mom was informed earlier than his delivery that her son would stay for so long as an ember in her hearth might survive the flames. His mom shortly extinguished the ember and hid it away in a cabinet.

Meleager grew as much as be a terrific hero, however for some purpose (sources battle) Meleager ended up killing his uncles. His mom was so upset that in a match of rage she threw her son’s ember into her hearth. When the ember went out, so did her son’s spark. It was mentioned the hero’s dying was so tragic that the birds of the earth cried. Their tears solidified into amber.

Depiction of the dying of Meleager, circa 1787 ( Public Area )

Ovid wasn’t alone in his ruminations on the origins of amber. Different historic writers claimed amber was only a ray of daylight that had by some means solidified when it struck the earth. Others believed it got here from a mysterious temple in  Ethiopia or a river in India. 

Lynx Urine

Maybe the strangest principle was that amber got here from male lynx urine. Apparently, male lynx urine is far darker in coloration than that of the feminine lynx. So darkish in actual fact, that it’s shut in shade to that of amber. So, clearly amber should have come from lynx urine.

Though a few of these theories are enjoyable, it appears unlikely that many ancients put a lot inventory in them, maybe solely essentially the most superstitious amongst them. Different writers had been a lot nearer to the mark as to amber’s origins.  Aristotle was appropriate when he described it as a “hardened resin”. Mix that with the story of Clymene turning right into a tree and crying and it’s clear the Greeks weren’t totally baffled concerning the nature of amber.

Pliny the Elder Follows the Clues

The Roman author Pliny the Elder got here the closest to fixing the riddle, nevertheless. When writing his  Pure Historical past , he tried to explain and classify all the valuable stones and supplies the Romans had to date come throughout. When it got here to amber, he famous that it was a standard materials that was extensively traded and utilized in jewellery. He struggled to provide you with a purpose as to why the fabric was widespread.

As to amber’s origins, Pliny primarily threw out all of the outdated myths. He additionally debunked a lot of the claims of the place amber supposedly got here from. He suspected that amber got here from pine tree sap, noting that when burnt, amber smelled of pine.

Pliny the Elder additionally got here to the conclusion that amber had in some unspecified time in the future gone from a liquid to a stable as a result of how else might bugs get trapped inside it? He was not accustomed to the thought of fossilization, nevertheless, and declared that some unusual mechanism of the ocean was accountable for turning the liquid sap into stable amber.

The Mystical Properties of Amber

So why did amber develop into so widespread? The sensible reply is that it’s straightforward to work with, comparatively ample, and simple to supply, in comparison with say, emeralds, which throughout this time might just about solely be sourced from mines in  Egypt.

In comparison with valuable stones, amber is relatively comfortable and pliable. Craftsmen used saws, recordsdata, and drills to show amber into the specified form after which engrave it. Strive sawing an emerald or diamond in half with a 2,000-year-old noticed and see which quits first, the noticed or the diamond.

The one draw back to amber is that as an natural compound it doesn’t final perpetually. Whereas amber will be polished till it gleams, that gleam finally fades. As soon as uncovered to daylight or air, amber loses its luster. Because it will get older, it turns into more and more opaque. Amber items that had been crafted by the ancients are sometimes not as spectacular as they as soon as had been.

A portion of a horde of amber items found close to Basonia, present-day Poland ( Public Area )

The opposite purpose amber grew to become widespread was as a result of it was mysterious. Sure, it wasn’t significantly uncommon, however the reality nobody was certain the place it got here from gave it an air of mystique. This, in flip, meant folks quickly began claiming it had all types of mystical properties.

Protecting Talismans

Many ancients, particularly in Greece and Egypt, believed that amber by some means protected those that wore it. Greeks and Egyptians had been already keen on sporting  protecting talismans , so making these talismans out of amber was thought to primarily double up their protecting capabilities. The Romans had been additionally keen on talisman. It was not unusual for them to depart amber beads within the graves of kids to assist shield their spirits on the best way to the afterlife.

Medicinal Advantages

If amber didn’t shield you, it might supposedly heal you. Whereas Pliny was writing his chapter on amber, he famous that some folks believed that amber had medical advantages. It was believed amber might assist with all the things from mouth and throat issues to psychological problems. For instance, there may be proof that throughout the time of  Hippocrates, amber was being utilized in people drugs. Folks would grind it up with rose oil and honey to deal with eye and ear issues.

This use of amber as drugs continued from historic instances to the medieval period, and even as much as the current. To today,  conventional Chinese language drugs  makes use of amber to “tranquilize the thoughts”. In sure components of Europe, amber necklaces are a standard treatment for colic and teething ache.

Apparently, there may be some scientific proof to elucidate a few of amber’s supposed mystical qualities. Amber incorporates succinic acid, which was generally used as a medication earlier than the invention of  antibiotics. Nevertheless, there may be little proof that amber necklaces have any impact on colic or toothache in younger kids. Chewing on amber doesn’t seem like an environment friendly supply technique of succinic acid.

To the ancients, amber had one other unusual property. When amber is rubbed, it shortly produces a destructive electrical cost. This enables it to draw small objects. The Persians known as amber  kahruba (straw robber). Whereas not particularly spectacular in the present day, it’s straightforward to see how this might impress folks hundreds of years in the past.

Amber’s Reputation via Time

To this point we’ve solely actually targeted on the Mediterranean obsession with amber, however it was rather more widespread than that. The earliest amber workshops within the Baltic return to the Neolithic interval (round 10,000 BC). Commerce in amber then grew to become widespread throughout the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC), with Germanic and European tribes busy buying and selling the fabric in trade for metals that really had a sensible use. Seafarers just like the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians additionally grew to become concerned within the amber commerce, spreading it additional afield.

Finally, amber made its method to the Close to East, the place it grew to become much more widespread than in Europe. It’s thought that it is because the overwhelming majority of amber being traded on the time got here from the Baltic, making it rather more uncommon and unique within the Close to East. It was one thing solely the very rich might afford, making amber a logo of royal energy, the final word standing image.

As talked about above, Baltic amber additionally made its approach into historic Egypt. The Egyptians most popular gold and valuable stones, however amber jewellery and rings have been present in a number of tombs in addition to amber talismans. Its relative shortage in Egypt factors to it as soon as once more being a standing image for the very highly effective or rich.

An amber ring engraved with hieroglyphs, presumably New Kingdom (British Museum /  CC BY NC SA 4.0 )

By the Iron Age (1200-600 BC), the east coast of Italy had develop into the place to be for amber craftsmen, with Picenum particularly showing to be a hub. From this level onwards, the recognition of amber cut up. By the classical interval, it seems the Greeks, who had accomplished a lot to popularize amber, had fallen out of affection with the fabric. As soon as a standard characteristic of archaic Greek artwork, proof of amber items within the classical Greek period is far much less frequent.

Italy remained the middle of amber’s reputation. The Etruscans of central Italy grew to become masters at producing amber jewellery and collectible figurines. The Romans had been additionally large followers of the fabric. Pliny the Elder famous in his work {that a} small amber figurine might price greater than even a bodily distinctive slave.

An amber die, from 1st or 2nd century Rome, with the numbers organized in order that reverse sides add as much as seven; the items are marked by a dot inside a circle. (British Museum /  CC BY NC SA 4.0 )

Finally, amber’s esteem waned, even with Romans. Its use as a fabric went into sharp decline from the third century AD. After the third century AD, amber solely remained significantly widespread within the Baltic areas. Within the medieval interval, it was the Armenians who championed the fabric. They continued manufacturing it into jewellery and saved up a wholesome amber commerce with different nations.

Conclusion

To today, amber stays a preferred materials within the jewellery commerce, even when it isn’t as widespread because it as soon as was. Scientific advances imply that amber has misplaced a few of its mysterious attract. What was as soon as the tears of the gods, or crystallized daylight is now simply fossilized tree goop. Fairly to have a look at, however maybe not significantly thrilling.

Nevertheless, for many people, understanding the place amber comes from has solely made it extra astonishing, not much less. To carry a chunk of amber in your hand (particularly if it has an insect encased inside) is to carry one thing which has survived hundreds of thousands of years. Amber is one other instance of how our world, and the life that resides upon it, is so outdated that the human mind struggles to grasp it.

Prime Picture: Amber’s magnificence and utility has been acknowledged since Neolithic instances, being utilized in jewellery in addition to drugs. Supply:  HJSchneider / Adobe Inventory

By Robbie Mitchell