The Amber Road: how Baltic gold reached Rome

Long before there were maps of northern Europe, there was a road for amber. It ran from the Baltic coast to the Mediterranean, and it made amber one of the great luxuries of the ancient world.

From the sea to the empire

Amber gathered on Baltic beaches travelled south by river and on foot, through what are now Poland, the Czech lands and Austria, across the Alps to the Roman city of Aquileia in northern Italy. There, craftsmen carved it into rings, amulets and small figures.

Nero's amber expedition

The Roman writer Pliny the Elder records that in the time of Emperor Nero, a Roman knight was sent north to bring back amber for the gladiator games. He returned with so much that the nets and the equipment of the arena were decorated with it. The largest piece weighed thirteen pounds.

Worth more than a slave

Pliny also grumbled about the price. A small amber figure, he wrote, could cost more than a living, healthy slave. Romans wore amber for its beauty and carried it as a charm for protection.

The road is gone, but the amber still comes from the same shore. Amber Alex has worked with it in Palanga, on the Baltic coast, since 1993. Explore our amber necklaces and loose amber stones.