"Amber in ancient cultures. Art works from the Hermitage in Kaliningrad
ARTinvestment.RU   09 октября 2010

The exhibition features 367 exhibits: amber from V millennium BC to the era of the Great Migrations and the things that surrounded amber, stressing the special role of this material in the cultures of mankind

The Kaliningrad Regional Museum opened an exhibition of amber "Amber in ancient cultures. Art works from the Hermitage ", which presented 367 exhibits.

According to one of the leading researchers Amber Carl Beck, in Europe there are over fifty varieties fossilizirovannyh resin called amber. The most famous of its kind - Baltic - in Eurasia has remained to this day remains one of the most common. Nature has given Amber is not only beauty but also the mysterious splendor and amazing charisma. That is why about amber so many legends and myths.

Once the sky had two suns. One of them was very difficult, and the sky did not endure this burden. The sun has fallen and broken on the underwater sea cliffs, and since then the sea makes his pieces on the shore. So says the origin of the ancient Baltic amber legend.

Greek mythological tradition connects amber with frozen tears Klimov and geliad, wives and daughters of the sun god Helios. Lamenting his son and brother Phaeton, they grew into the earth and turned into poplar trees, with branches that dripped tears of solar heat tverdevshie and turns into amber.

old Lithuanian legend says that Amber - it tears the sea goddess Jurate a lost lover, a simple fisherman Kestutis. Extant name of this amazing stone associated with its unusual qualities. Germans called it "shining stone", the Estonians - "stone sea", the Lithuanians on behalf of the Sea "baltasom; Baltic coast dwellers often called him" the combustible stone "or" sea incense ».

For information about amber, places of production and ways of their penetration into the territory of Ancient Greece and Rome can be found in ancient authors - Herodotus, Strabo, Pliny, Tacitus. In the Odyssey, describing the decoration of the chambers of Menelaus - King of Sparta and wife Helen, Homer, along with gold, silver and ivory is called amber. Pliny, the Roman writer, I in. BC, amber - solar stone - called the "golden glowing stone" that can ward off the evil eye from their hosts. Amber on notions of old was not only magical, but very diverse medicinal properties. In the old books can be found more than fifty recipes for medicines made from amber. In the Middle Ages it, grind into a powder used for making medicines and perfumes - and hence was born the word "ambrosia».

exhibition "Amber in ancient cultures. Art works from the Hermitage "is devoted not only to amber to things that were found during archaeological excavations of settlements, burial mounds, burial grounds, but the things that surrounded amber, stressing the special role of this material in the cultures of mankind. Geography finds stretches from the forest zone of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Black Sea to Siberia, from whence the most mysterious of them. Huge and chronological range of the exhibition - from the V millennium BC to the era of the Great Migration. It is no wonder that every discovery is intense interest of historians, archaeologists: beneath the surface, the history of nations, their political relationship and trade contacts.

first finds of amber products associated with cultural layers of Upper Paleolithic sites in the Pyrenees Moravia, in what is now Austria, England, Romania and Ukraine. The first amber figurines - a bear and a horse - are found in the territory of present-day Poland and belong to the Mesolithic (X-VII millennium BC).

in Stone Age cultures of the forest zone of Eastern Europe amber pieces found from VI millennium BC Widespread use of Baltic amber for the manufacture of jewelry and works of small plastic accounts at the end of IV - the middle of the II Millennium BC

jewelry made of amber of the Baltic origin are represented in monuments of the Scythian culture, dating back to the mid-VII - first half of the VI. BC, which are found in the Dnieper forest-steppe and the North Caucasus. Gold and bronze with their warm yellow color accompanied by amber in the Scythian period. Amber in the archaeological sites in Siberia and Central Asia - an extremely rare find. Detection of several hundreds of amber beads in the royal tomb early Scythian time near the village of Argens (Tuva Republic), aroused great interest. Especially after it was determined that the amber is Baltic origin. Amber is obviously of great value. Confirmation of this - Znamensky treasure, consisting of jewelry, including special place in the suspension and bead of amber.

appears nonrandom selection of amber for a mascot in the form of a lion figurines from the mound "Big" about Armavir (Kuban).

The exhibition is part of the "Hermitage Museum in Kaliningrad." Before the exhibition opened visitors a glimpse into the distant past, to learn about people and events of ancient times. Time goes on, but the articles and ornaments made from Baltic amber is still accompany us always remain attractive. And things of ancient times was first returned to their homeland - in amber edge.

exhibition will run until December 12, 2010.

Source: hermitagemuseum.org



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