SPECIAL PRE-ROMAN CONNECTIVITY AND CULTURE
Amber, the fossilized resin of primordial trees, has fascinated humankind for millennia due to its lustrous, almost otherworldly glow. The largest deposit of amber in the world lies along the modern shores of the Baltic Sea. It remains a major economic asset for the inhabitants of the region, who export hundreds of tonnes of the precious material each year. Ancient civilizations, too, conceived of amber’s value. The Etruscans were especially enthusiastic consumers of Baltic amber. Today, innumerable Etruscan amber artefacts are distributed across museum collections around the world, with nearly three hundred separate objects gracing American museum collections alone. These stand as testaments to the substance’s pervasive significance within Etruscan society.
What factors compelled the Etruscans to acquire a commodity only available some two thousand kilometres from their homeland in northern Italy? The allure of amber in Etruscan culture can be attributed not only to its natural beauty and exoticism but also to its perceived mystical, medicinal, and protective properties. Etruscan artisans carefully crafted the material into jewellery and amulets for the personal adornment and protection of their wearers in both life and in death. Archaeologists overwhelmingly discover carved ambers in tombs designated as grave goods for the benefit
