Necklace compsed of antique amber beads
dating from the Hellenistic through the
Roman
periods.
Amber, the fossilized resin of extinct
trees, is
one of the oldest gems known to man.
Amulets
made from it have been found in tombs
dating
from the Stone Age. Of rich color, its
electrical
properties made it magic to primitive
man and
this fascination has continued to the
present
day. Widespread trade in amber began
over
9,000 years ago, when it traveled from
the Baltic
region to the palaces and cities of the
ancient
Mediterranean, such as Knossos and
Mycenae. It
was believed in Antiquity-- as now--
that
amber could cure numerous ailments and
avert
evil or prevent witchcraft. Ancient
myths
ascribed its origins to the rays of the
setting sun,
cooled in the ocean; to the tears of
rare birds; or
to the urine of the lynx. Homer makes
mention
of amber in the Odyssey. In prehistoric
times, the
resin oozing from trees sometimes
encased
insects and other specimens of natural
life.
These inclusions are highly prized
today. Amber
varies in color from pale yellow, to
rich honey
brown, to deep orange to red. Soothing
to the
touch as well as to the eye, it is still
one of the
most popular gems after the passage of
millennia.
- (SB.0340)
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