Gintaras kaip simbolis: kultūrų kaita ir tęstinumas Vokiečių ordino valdose Baltijos pajūryje | Amber as a Symbol: Cultural Change and Continuity in the Teutonic Order-Ruled Areas of the Baltic Coast

Abstract

The article explores the changes in the gathering, processing and use of amber on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea at the end of the Viking Age and in the 12th to 16th century. In the pagan sacral space, works in amber reflected mythological elements, and later they were transformed and adapted to Christian practice, at the same time as maintaining the commercial value of amber as a material. Archaeological material from the above-mentioned period illustrates the gradual diffusion of Christian elements in the pagan territories. Their expression is visible in new forms of amber works.

Keywords

• amber
• Prussia
• Courland
• Teutonic Order
• paternoster beads