IberAmber Project (2022.09207.PTDC)
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IberAmber is an exploratory research project funded by FCT in the 2022 call for proposals and directed by Carlos P. Odriozola (UNIARQ-University of Seville) and José Madeira (Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon).
Team:
Carlos P. Odriozola (University of Seville/UNIARQ)
José Madeira (Instituto Dom Luís, Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisboa)
Ana Catarina Sousa (UNIARQ)
João Duarte (Instituto Dom Luís, Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisboa)
José María Martínez Blanes (CSIC-University of Seville)
José Ángel Garrido Cordero (UNIARQ)
Daniel Sánchez Gómez (UNIARQ)
Galo Romero García (University of Seville)
Víctor S. Gonçalves (UNIARQ)
Daniel Van Calker (UNIARQ)
Cátia Delicado (UNIARQ)
André Texugo (UNIARQ)
Carlos P. Odriozola (University of Seville/UNIARQ)
José Madeira (Instituto Dom Luís, Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisboa)
Ana Catarina Sousa (UNIARQ)
João Duarte (Instituto Dom Luís, Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisboa)
José María Martínez Blanes (CSIC-University of Seville)
José Ángel Garrido Cordero (UNIARQ)
Daniel Sánchez Gómez (UNIARQ)
Galo Romero García (University of Seville)
Víctor S. Gonçalves (UNIARQ)
Daniel Van Calker (UNIARQ)
Cátia Delicado (UNIARQ)
André Texugo (UNIARQ)
Amber is a fossil resin that since the Upper Paleolithic had a social value that derived from its unique natural characteristics that have made it profusely used and valued socially throughout Prehistory, specially as an element of adornment as well as a symbolic element.
The main natural sources of amber exploited in prehistory are located on the Baltic Sea coast and in Sicily. From the beginning of modern research, the presence of amber outside these regions was used as an indicator of the existence of long-distance exchange networks (de Navarro, 1925) and, consequently, amber was considered an exotic and prestigious material.
On this basis, a solid research tradition has been built to identify the origin of the items made in amber (Beck et al., 1965; Beck and Hartnett, 1993) and that have led to the identification of space-time patterns of their consumption.
Given the well-grounded tradition of studies on this raw material of high symbolic value, the characterization of prehistoric amber ornaments has been treated extensively in recent years (Murillo-Barroso et al., 2018; Odriozola et al., 2019).
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses have confirmed the long-distance exchanges as the main form of access to amber, and have allowed the identification of two large-scale trends in the flow of exchanges, which would begin arriving from Sicily during 4th-to-3rd millennia BC and swing to the Baltic from the 2nd millennium BC onwards (Odriozola et al., 2019).
Despite this exogenous trend, in recent decades the focus has also been placed on the geological deposits of Iberian amber, documenting various local sources of amber on the Cantabrian coast, (Álvarez Fernández et al., 2005; Murillo-Barroso et al., 2018). On the other hand, numerous outcrops of local amber remain to be characterized, such as those located between the mouth of the Tagus and that of the Mondego, in Portugal (Peñalver et al., 2018): Sangalhos, Cape Mondego, Figueira da Foz, Valverde, Santa Cruz beach, Catefica, Algueirão area, Magoito beach, Estoril-Cascais area, Cape Espichel and Sesimbra.
Despite the acknowledged Baltic and Sicilian amber long-distance exchange, and the lack of a comprehensive record of FTIR spectra and GC-MS of Portuguese amber, scholars have posed lately that Sicilian and Portuguese amber have similar spectral features thus compromising the identification of its origin. Thus the consumption of local amber instead of foreign amber would totally change the picture of an interconnected Europe.
The main objective of this proposal is to locate and characterize, through FTIR and GC-MS, the Portuguese amber deposits likely to have been exploited in Prehistory, to create a library of standardized reference spectra for each of the deposits. The amber deposits’ standardized reference spectra will, then be used as fingerprint of the Portuguese deposits. These will be later in turn compared to archaeological artefacts spectra to determine their origin.
All the recorded data, either raw data or processed, will be made accessible to the public following the European FAIR policy through a Spatial Data Infrastructure and an online Database, already available in a first version for public consultation (https://iberamber.letras.ulisboa.pt/), where it is also possible to consult information and news related to the project, the team and the resulting research.
This main objective is articulated in 10 specific objectives:
1. Location of amber deposits troughout comprehensive scientific literature search, amateur and collectors web tracking, and intensive survey.
2. Georreferncing and PostGis Database feeding with precise location of the findings and collected samples.
3. Amber deposit characterisation by FTIR to obtain deposits’ spectral fingerprints.
4. Amber deposit characterisation by GC-MS to obtain a more detailled information on the deposits’ chemical composition and aging processes. Together with FTIR spectral signatures, GC-MS spectra will allow a more precise characterisation of amber compounds and therefore of the undergone aging processes and botanical origin of amber.
5. Creation of a Portuguese amber reference spectral library with all the stadardised FTIR and GC-MS spectra (raw and processed data will be uploaded as attached data to each specimen analysed in the PostGis Database).
6. FTIR analysis of all non-analysed Late Prehistory portuguese archaeological amber artefacts.
7. Supervised statistical analysis of the geological amber to generate a classification tool based on a trainning set composed by the spectral library (included spectra for Baltic, Sicilian and Near East ambers). To tune the model and gain the best accuracy scores a test dataset of known amber origin samples will be used.
8. Deploy a web-app (front-end) that runs against the algorthm (back-end) to predict the origin of the archaeological amber artefacts throughout their FTIR spectral signature.
9. Predict the origin of the analysed archaeological amber artefacts.
10. Production of thematic cartographies and an interactive WMS and WFS.
The main natural sources of amber exploited in prehistory are located on the Baltic Sea coast and in Sicily. From the beginning of modern research, the presence of amber outside these regions was used as an indicator of the existence of long-distance exchange networks (de Navarro, 1925) and, consequently, amber was considered an exotic and prestigious material.
On this basis, a solid research tradition has been built to identify the origin of the items made in amber (Beck et al., 1965; Beck and Hartnett, 1993) and that have led to the identification of space-time patterns of their consumption.
Given the well-grounded tradition of studies on this raw material of high symbolic value, the characterization of prehistoric amber ornaments has been treated extensively in recent years (Murillo-Barroso et al., 2018; Odriozola et al., 2019).
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses have confirmed the long-distance exchanges as the main form of access to amber, and have allowed the identification of two large-scale trends in the flow of exchanges, which would begin arriving from Sicily during 4th-to-3rd millennia BC and swing to the Baltic from the 2nd millennium BC onwards (Odriozola et al., 2019).
Despite this exogenous trend, in recent decades the focus has also been placed on the geological deposits of Iberian amber, documenting various local sources of amber on the Cantabrian coast, (Álvarez Fernández et al., 2005; Murillo-Barroso et al., 2018). On the other hand, numerous outcrops of local amber remain to be characterized, such as those located between the mouth of the Tagus and that of the Mondego, in Portugal (Peñalver et al., 2018): Sangalhos, Cape Mondego, Figueira da Foz, Valverde, Santa Cruz beach, Catefica, Algueirão area, Magoito beach, Estoril-Cascais area, Cape Espichel and Sesimbra.
Despite the acknowledged Baltic and Sicilian amber long-distance exchange, and the lack of a comprehensive record of FTIR spectra and GC-MS of Portuguese amber, scholars have posed lately that Sicilian and Portuguese amber have similar spectral features thus compromising the identification of its origin. Thus the consumption of local amber instead of foreign amber would totally change the picture of an interconnected Europe.
The main objective of this proposal is to locate and characterize, through FTIR and GC-MS, the Portuguese amber deposits likely to have been exploited in Prehistory, to create a library of standardized reference spectra for each of the deposits. The amber deposits’ standardized reference spectra will, then be used as fingerprint of the Portuguese deposits. These will be later in turn compared to archaeological artefacts spectra to determine their origin.
All the recorded data, either raw data or processed, will be made accessible to the public following the European FAIR policy through a Spatial Data Infrastructure and an online Database, already available in a first version for public consultation (https://iberamber.letras.ulisboa.pt/), where it is also possible to consult information and news related to the project, the team and the resulting research.
This main objective is articulated in 10 specific objectives:
1. Location of amber deposits troughout comprehensive scientific literature search, amateur and collectors web tracking, and intensive survey.
2. Georreferncing and PostGis Database feeding with precise location of the findings and collected samples.
3. Amber deposit characterisation by FTIR to obtain deposits’ spectral fingerprints.
4. Amber deposit characterisation by GC-MS to obtain a more detailled information on the deposits’ chemical composition and aging processes. Together with FTIR spectral signatures, GC-MS spectra will allow a more precise characterisation of amber compounds and therefore of the undergone aging processes and botanical origin of amber.
5. Creation of a Portuguese amber reference spectral library with all the stadardised FTIR and GC-MS spectra (raw and processed data will be uploaded as attached data to each specimen analysed in the PostGis Database).
6. FTIR analysis of all non-analysed Late Prehistory portuguese archaeological amber artefacts.
7. Supervised statistical analysis of the geological amber to generate a classification tool based on a trainning set composed by the spectral library (included spectra for Baltic, Sicilian and Near East ambers). To tune the model and gain the best accuracy scores a test dataset of known amber origin samples will be used.
8. Deploy a web-app (front-end) that runs against the algorthm (back-end) to predict the origin of the archaeological amber artefacts throughout their FTIR spectral signature.
9. Predict the origin of the analysed archaeological amber artefacts.
10. Production of thematic cartographies and an interactive WMS and WFS.
References:
Álvarez Fernández, E.; Peñalver Mollá, E. and Delclòs Martínez, X. (2005) “La presencia de ámbar en los yacimientos prehistóricos (del Paleolítico Superior a la Edad del Bronce) de la Cornisa Cantábrica y sus fuentes de aprovisionamiento”, Zephyrus 58: 159-182.
Beck, C. W. and Hartnett, H. E. (1993) Sicilian amber. In: Beck CW, Bouzek J (eds) Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. Amber in Archaeology. (Liblice, 1990). Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague: 36–47.
Beck, C. W.; Wilbur, E.; Meret, S.; Kossove, D. y Kermani, K. (1965) “The infrared spectra of amber and the identification of Baltic amber”, Archaeometry 8: 96-109.
Murillo Barroso, M.; Peñalver, E.; Bueno Ramírez, P.; Barroso, R.; de Balbín Behrman, R. and Martinón-Torres, M. (2018) “Amber in Prehistoric Iberia: new data and a review”, PLoS ONE 13 (8): e0202235. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202235
Navarro, J. M. de (1925) “Prehistoric routes between Northern Europe and Italy defined by the amber trade”, The Geographical Journal 66 (6): 481-503.
Odriozola Lloret, C. P.; Sousa, A. C.; Mataloto, R.; Boaventura, R.; Andrade, M. A.; Villalobos García, R.; Garrido-Cordero, J. A.; Rodríguez, E.; Martínez-Blanes, J. M.; Avilés, J. A.; Daura, J.; Sanz Borrás, M. and Riquelme, J. A. (2019) “Amber, beads and social interaction in the Late Prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula: an update”, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11 (2): 567-595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0549-7.
Peñalver, E.; Barrón, E.; Delclòs, X.; Álvarez-Fernández, E.; Arillo, A.; López del Valle, R.; Lozano, R. P.; Murillo-Barroso, M.; Pérez-de la Fuente, R.; Peris, D.; Rodrigo, A.; Sánchez-García, A.; Sarto i Monteys, V.; Viejo, J. L. and Vilaça, R. (2018) “Amber in Portugal: state of the art”, en Vaz, N. and Sá, A. A. (eds.) Yacimientos paleontológicos excepcionales en la península Ibérica / XXXIV Jornadas de Paleontología-IV Congreso Ibérico de Paleontología: 279-287. Cuadernos del Museo Geominero 27, Madrid.
Álvarez Fernández, E.; Peñalver Mollá, E. and Delclòs Martínez, X. (2005) “La presencia de ámbar en los yacimientos prehistóricos (del Paleolítico Superior a la Edad del Bronce) de la Cornisa Cantábrica y sus fuentes de aprovisionamiento”, Zephyrus 58: 159-182.
Beck, C. W. and Hartnett, H. E. (1993) Sicilian amber. In: Beck CW, Bouzek J (eds) Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. Amber in Archaeology. (Liblice, 1990). Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague: 36–47.
Beck, C. W.; Wilbur, E.; Meret, S.; Kossove, D. y Kermani, K. (1965) “The infrared spectra of amber and the identification of Baltic amber”, Archaeometry 8: 96-109.
Murillo Barroso, M.; Peñalver, E.; Bueno Ramírez, P.; Barroso, R.; de Balbín Behrman, R. and Martinón-Torres, M. (2018) “Amber in Prehistoric Iberia: new data and a review”, PLoS ONE 13 (8): e0202235. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202235
Navarro, J. M. de (1925) “Prehistoric routes between Northern Europe and Italy defined by the amber trade”, The Geographical Journal 66 (6): 481-503.
Odriozola Lloret, C. P.; Sousa, A. C.; Mataloto, R.; Boaventura, R.; Andrade, M. A.; Villalobos García, R.; Garrido-Cordero, J. A.; Rodríguez, E.; Martínez-Blanes, J. M.; Avilés, J. A.; Daura, J.; Sanz Borrás, M. and Riquelme, J. A. (2019) “Amber, beads and social interaction in the Late Prehistory of the Iberian Peninsula: an update”, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11 (2): 567-595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-017-0549-7.
Peñalver, E.; Barrón, E.; Delclòs, X.; Álvarez-Fernández, E.; Arillo, A.; López del Valle, R.; Lozano, R. P.; Murillo-Barroso, M.; Pérez-de la Fuente, R.; Peris, D.; Rodrigo, A.; Sánchez-García, A.; Sarto i Monteys, V.; Viejo, J. L. and Vilaça, R. (2018) “Amber in Portugal: state of the art”, en Vaz, N. and Sá, A. A. (eds.) Yacimientos paleontológicos excepcionales en la península Ibérica / XXXIV Jornadas de Paleontología-IV Congreso Ibérico de Paleontología: 279-287. Cuadernos del Museo Geominero 27, Madrid.
updated October 2023