The examination of amber beads from the collection of the state hermitage museum found in Arzhan-2 burial memorial site

Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was applied to the analysis of amber beads recently found in the Arzhan-2 burial memorial site, located in the north of the Tuva Republic, near the boarder between Russia and Mongolia. Materials collected at this site were compared with two known Baltic amber materials, as well as non-Baltic ambers from Burma and Lebanon. A set of compounds was identified by their mass spectra to correspond to the various amber samples, permitting differentiation among the specimens. The analytical results show that the six specimens collected from the memorial site have been made of Baltic amber, and may be differentiated from the Burmese and Lebanese materials. Classification of the amber beads found in a memorial site provides clues to the trade routes and intercultural contacts associated with the site. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.