gems, amber, Bulgaria, amber, Baltic amber, Thrace, trade, commerce, trade routes, analytical

The question about the provenance of archaeological amber artefacts from Southeast Europe has been widely discussed in the literature, with numerous investigations into the chemical composition and geographical origin of fossil resin conducted over more than 460 years (see e.g. Савкевич / Шакс 1964; Beck 1986; Beck et al. 1964; 1965; Kessissoglou et al. 1989; Rottländer 1970; Weller / Wert 1984). The result has been the development of certain criteria for distinguishing Baltic amber from that originating in other parts of Europe (Beck 1986; Beck et al. 1964; Beck 1965). The aim of this research is to review investigations into the provenance of archaeological amber from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages in present-day Bulgaria and to address issues relevant to the role of Ancient Thrace in the prehistoric distribution model of fossil resin. To that end, the paper presents information on amber as a mineral, the development of archaeometric provenance studies, the presence of amber artefacts from the Bronze and Iron Ages in Thrace, and the analyses conducted to determine their geological source. Due to the inaccessibility of some materials, samples from a portion of the described archaeological finds were examined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) as an analytical method for identifying Baltic amber.