Amber discs with cross decoration from the eastern Baltic region. A research case study from the Daktariškė 5 Neolithic settlement, western Lithuania

Abstract

Due to its aesthetic appeal and special characteristics amber was used since the Late Palaeolithic period and it appears that this jewellery was often used for ceremonial rites. One of these pendants – an amber disc with cross decoration – was found during archaeological excavations of Daktariškė 5, a Neolithic settlement, in western Lithuania (Telšiai district). For many years, together with the amber assemblages from Palanga, Šventoji and Juodkrantė, this artefact represented the majority of evidence of Neolithic amber manufacturing and use in Lithuania. In 2016, researchers from several Lithuanian scientific institutions and museums conducted a series of analyses on this amber disc with cross decoration. In this case study, use-wear, and FTIR and micro FT-Raman spectral analysis were used. The results allowed to ascertain the manufacturing process including the identification what type of tools were used for its production. During the use-wear analysis, various colour organic material residues were detected on the surface of ornamentation. Samples of this material were studied by FTIR and micro FT-Raman spectral analysis. The results of these analyses allowed us to not only reconstruct what the artefact originally looked like but also provided insights into the manufacturing process of the Late Neolithic tars used to colour the engravings.