Northern Gold

This study presents a systematic analysis of the huge, and in most cases, completely new archaeological evidence for amber from Lithuania and the surrounding regions. A comprehensive synthesis of archaeological evidence and written sources provides an opportunity to develop new viewpoints about the sources of amber, extraction methods, amber-wearing traditions in different Aestii/Balt cultures and by people of different social status, ages and genders, and the amber trade in different markets in Lithuania and the whole eastern Baltic region. However, a tradition of amber usage in Lithuania was dependent not only on the ability of local communities to acquire “northern gold” but, to a larger degree, its use in the north was determined by cultural developments that took place in Europe.