The earliest Baltic amber in Western Europe

The occurrence of Baltic amber through Europe has traditionally been associated to the spread of the Bell Beaker culture during the 3rd millennium BC. In Iberia, this phenomenon is particularly noticeable in the southern half. Here we present an amber bead recovered in a Late Neolithic funerary cave (3634-3363 cal BC) from northeastern Iberia where more than 12 individuals had been buried. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results of four samples revealed their complete resemblance with Baltic succinite reference spectra. Despite being a single bead, this finding provides the earliest evidence for the arrival of Baltic amber to the Mediterranean and Western Europe, before the Bell Beaker phenomenon and more than a millennium earlier than traditionally thought. This finding has implications for our understanding of early exchange networks of exotic materials, and their associated social structures.

Automated summary

This study presents the discovery of a Baltic amber bead in a Late Neolithic funerary cave in northeastern Iberia. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed its complete resemblance to Baltic succinite amber. This finding provides the earliest evidence for the arrival of Baltic amber in the Mediterranean and Western Europe, challenging the traditional timeline.