Archaeological, contextual and iconographic analysis of roman amber pieces located in Augusta Emerita (Mérida, Badajoz)

Abstract

Amber was a highly valued material by Roman society, especially in the Julio-Claudia era, according to written sources. However, there are few known pieces of this material in Roman Hispania. In the present work we present a group of nine amber objects of different types in two assemblages from the old Augusta Emerita. In addition to its iconographic, morphological, functional and contextual analysis, the results of its archaeometric characterization by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR), which reveal its Baltic origin, are presented. It also raises the possibility that the manufacturing office is located in Aquitaine, reaching Hispania as finished objects.