1 gen 3000 anni a. C. - La route de l'ambre

Descrizione:

Amber has been traded since about 3000 BCE,
with archaeological evidence revealing amber beads from the Baltics
having reached as far as Egypt. The Romans, who valued the stone for
both decorative and medicinal purposes, developed an Amber Road linking
the Baltics with the rest of Europe.
Large deposits of amber are found under the Baltic Sea, formed
millions of years ago when forests covered the area. The amber washes
ashore after storms, and can be harvested from the beaches across the
Baltic, which is how many local amber traders built their business.
However, during the crusades in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Baltic
became an important source of income for the Teutonic Knights,
who were granted control of the amber-producing region. The Knights
persecuted the local Prussians brutally, and put anyone attempting to
harvest or sell amber to death. Today, you can find traces of the old
Amber Road in Poland, where one of the major routes is known as the
“Amber Highway.”