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The Amber Coast
Amber is a fossilized resin from coniferous (pine) trees that has been collected by people living along the shores of the Baltic Sea since the Bronze Age. This region of the Baltic Sea became known as the "Amber Coast" (Fig. 2). The earliest evidence that amber was known about, mined, and worked with in the Baltic Sea/Gdansk area dates from between 8000 - 4000 B. C. The locals produced amber amulets in the shape of animals, deities, and hero figurines for cult purposes, and believed it was imbued magical power.
Fig. 2
Amber Fishing
During prehistoric times, wind and waves coming ashore from the Baltic Sea formed what is known as the Curonian Spit on Poland and Lithuania's famous "Amber Coast." Running southwest to northeast, the spit varies in width from 430 yards to 2 miles and is sixty miles long. Along this shore, banks of pine trees and sand dunes separate the Baltic from the Curonian Lagoon. For thousands of years, amber that has been pulled up from the ocean floor by strong tides and fierce storms has been deposited along this shorline.
In the marshy regions along this coast, where the tides were unpredictable, amber was collected on horseback by "amber riders" who used poles and nets called "amber-catchers." There were also "amber divers" who carried a wooden spade to loosen amber from the sea floor.
The earliest evidence of an amber workshop in Gdansk dates back to the 9th and 10th century AD. Local dukes held an exclusive right to "fish" and mine amber, and the amber fishermen had to obtain an amber-fishing license from the city government. The illustration to the right (Fig. 1) showing an amber-fisher is from 'Succini prussici physica et civilis historia' in 1697.
Archaeological remains of the Truso Settlement, a 9th century amber colony, still exist today and can be seen at the Municipal Museum of Elblag. Discovered in 1982, the Baltic seaport of Truso was situated on the amber route close to Lake Druzno and Elblag, just east of the Vistula River. The Truso Settlement preserved evidence of the oldest amber artistic products and traces of the lost culture of these Old-Prussian, Polish and Scandinavian artisans. The "Amber Coast" near Elblag (Fig. 3) is shown below.
Fig. 3
Amber stores were heavily guarded by the watchful supervision of the local potentate's "Beach Master," and the unauthorized collection of amber could merit capital punishment. Several coastal villages were adorned with gallows awaiting captured amber-thieves. During this time period Gdansk was the center of European amber craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the Teutonic monks desired to occupy Gdansk. When they finally achieved control the city, on November 14th 1308, they systematically murdered many of the inhabitants and burnt their houses. Historians have named the event ³The Gdansk Massacre². Needless to say, these conditions were not very conducive to the development of amber crafts. The amber market crashed, and Polish craftsmen were not permitted to work at their craft. Yet, amber art in Gdansk flourished again under the rule of Casimir the Jagiellonian, who bestowed the city with land rich in amber deposits. The first amber guild was established in Gdansk in 1477.
Amber Mining
In the Kurpie region of Poland, amber became a integral factor in the ethnographic identity of its people. Amber working became a means of living for the majority of the inhabitants of the region. Thus, amber gathering and working took its place alongside bee-keeping, hunting, and fishing, and became a common occupation. The Kurpie (15th century) people gathered the amber from their own land using simple tools that were specially designed for the task. They would find amber in lakes, rivers, and streams, as well as while digging ditches and wells or ploughing their fields.
Amber is still mined in the same region (Fig. 4), however the primitive hand tools have been replaced with modern digging equipment.
Fig. 4
The Amber Trade
Between 400 B. C. and 30 AD, Europe was dominated by the Celts. Celtic tribes spread over vast geographic regions throughout Europe reaching Italy and the Balkans on the Adriatic coast. Amber was always present in their culture. Celtic merchants revived the old amber routes and forged new ones linking Italy and Iliria to the "Amber Coast" of the Southern Baltic Sea. The importance of the amber trade routes for Europe went far beyond the sphere of economy. Journeys along these routes spread knowledge of other cultures, and trade became a pretext to get to know and understand other cultures and civilizations.
Between the 10th and 15th centuries AD, the wide variety of amber goods included beads, amulets, dice, pawns, pendants, and rings (Fig. 5). Amber crafts made by Gdansk craftsmen were meant for both the local market and markets in cities throughout Polish territory. Raw amber as well as finished goods were transported to Flanders. When Pomerania was seized by the Teutonic Order in the 14th century, amber became exceptionally sought after. After the great baptism of Gdansk by St. Adalbert the assortment of amber crafts was broadened to include amber crosses.
Fig. 5
Gdansk lies on the crossroads of both ancient and contemporary amber trade routes which traversed between different European cities and cultures along the major rivers such as the Vistula. Perhaps no civilization was fonder of amber than that of Rome. By the first century AD, Roman demand for amber was so great that it drove the creation of "Amber Routes" from the Mediterranean to various points along the Baltic coast. All routes led south towards the Black Sea, reaching Rome via the Roman Aquilea tract and Greece via the Hellenic Alexandropolis route. The Vistula amber route linked the Gdansk Coastal area with the Mediterranean countries and was travelled as early as the 5th century B.C.
Trading in raw amber generated a sizeable income. Amber was exported to Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bruges , Köln, Lübeck, Nuremberg, and Venice. The art works produced at this juncture included sacred religious sculptures as well as practical objects such as boxes, candle holders, caskets, clocks, picture frames, and tableware.
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Amber Mining & Culture
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