Introduction to Amber: Tears of the Gods

In 2010, a unique exhibition of amber art and artefacts arrived in Glasgow, mostly coming from the famous Malbork Castle collection in Poland. Notable additions included the well-known Gdansk lizard from the Gdansk Amber Museum, as well as a selection of insects trapped in amber and some historical artefacts from the collections of the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum. The aim of the exhibition was to bring together many different aspects of amber that would not normally be exhibited together in such a holistic way. Amber collected for its historic and prehistoric significance and those pieces collected for natural history reasons were displayed together to help us to understand amber in its entirety. This book draws on the exhibition for inspiration, looking at many aspects of amber from prehistory to natural history; at how people related to amber from the Stone Age, through the Middle Ages until the present day.

Amber goblet from the 18th century collections of Dr William Hunter of the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow

Amber is used around the world, sometimes for medical or spiritual wellbeing, sometimes for adornment or decoration, and sometimes for scientific reasons. Wherever amber is found, it is treasured by its captors who, in turn, are captivated by its wonder. Amber comes in many varieties, colours, and forms. Amber from the Baltic region of Europe is one of the most abundant in the world and has been used by man for over 40,000 years. Although Czech amber is one of the earliest to be used in Europe, the more northern Baltic amber started to become the main source available to ancient peoples as rapidly as the ice sheets of the last ice age retreated 10,000 years ago.

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Amber: Tears Of The Gods - Neil D. L. Clark - Hardback
Introducing the reader to the nature of amber, this book looks at what it is and where it's found, as well as examining the numerous myths and legends that have contributed to the folklore of this mysterious jewel.