Amber, that marvelous creation
of nature, attracted man since prehistoric times. Glorified in songs and
legends, made famous by poets and scholars on Antiquity, it became part
of the history of human culture. Having fossilized and preserved in it
self bits of flora and fauna which existed tens of millions years ago,
amber is prized not only by beauty lovers but also is an object of
scientific studies. Found in many parts of the world, amber is nowhere
else so deeply rooted into everyday life, folklore and art as in
Lithuania. Thus it was not accidental that the opening Amber Museums of Palanga in 1963 was met with great enthusiasm. The opening of the museum
was a significant event not only for the people living on the Baltic
coast. It was a major even in the cultural life of the whole Republic.
In the course of 25 years a small exposition occupying 96 square meters
and containing only 478 items has grown into important center of amber
collecting, studying and popularizing. The exposition displayed in the
15 halls of the mansion (total area 750 square meters) acquaints
visitors with the origin and processing traditions of amber. Due to
system The Museum is housed in the former mansion of count F. Tyszkiewicz (built in 1897, architect F. Schwechten). Matic work carried
out on scientific basis a rich collection containing 25000 items has
been accumulated. They are being studied and systematized on the basis
of perforated cards system. The present exposition provides about 4500
carefully selected items surveying amber from two aspects: 1. The
formation of amber in the process of the Earth's evolution; 2. The role
of amber in the history of culture. The exposition was arranged
according to the plan prepared by R. Budrys, director of the Art Museum
of the Lithuanian. V. Katinas, scientific of geology and mineralogy,
provided scientific advice. Amber was mentioned for the first time in
the Assyrian cuneiforms in the 10th century B. C. Ancient myths and
legends reflect man's attempts to solve the mystery of the origin of
amber. The Lithuanian legend about sea-goddess Jurate and a fisherman
Kastytis is the first attempt of Lithuanians to explain the origin of
amber. According to the legend amber pieces are fragments of goddess
Jurate's underwater castle struck by Perkunas (the Thunder god) and her
tears. The exposition occupying the first floor reveals formation
processes of amber. The area of the "amber pine" forest, climate, relief
and hydrograph allow determining conditions of amber formation
processes. All this profound and ample information is displayed in the
showcases, designed by architect V. Vizgirda. Amber (Lat. Succinum) is
fossil pine resin of the Eocene Period (I. E. 45 or 40 million years
old), changed by microorganisms, oxidation, polymerization and other
processes. It formed in the forests of coniferous and broad- leaf
bearing trees, which grew in Fennoscandia. The warming of the climate
caused increased resin Fennoscandia. The processes of amber formation
are well reflected by the shape of its pieces. Morphological varieties
of amber are divided into internal (about 1 percent) and external (about
79 percent). In the showcases are amply displayed intrawood, under rind
and interring resin excretions, icicles, drops and accumulations on
trunks. From the scientific point of view very interesting are micro
drops and micro icicles ("amber in amber") i. e. fossilized first
portions of resin excretions. Inclusions are fossilized bits of flora
and fauna of "amber pine" forests, the ancestors of the present-day
forests. 86.7 percent of inclusions are insects, 11.8 percent are
spiders, 0.1 percent is bits of plants and 1.3 percent is other group of
fauna. About 3000 species of fauna is fossilized in amber.
Well-preserved inclusions indicate that amber originated from liquid
resin, which was quickly hardening. The Palanga Amber Museum has the
collection of 15000 inclusions the study of which provides ample
material for the investigation of the history of amber and
million-year-old flora and fauna. On display are arthropod inclusions:
centipedes, arachnidan, ephemera, termite's ants and others. The
migration of amber started since its formation and was going on
throughout all geologic periods. Complicated geologic processes which
took place in the Paleogene, Neogene and Quarter periods played an
important role not only for the spreading of amber but also for the
geologic structure of amber deposits and for the formation of its
diverse genetic types. The main amber deposits formed in the Knigsberg
region and Poland in the deltaic deposits of rivers flowing from
Fennoscandia in the Eocene Period (45-50 million years ago). The
exposition presents geologic strata of amber deposit molecule spectra
and peculiarities of amber. It provides the inner structure of amber,
its range of colors and processed products. Also on display are other
fossil resins found in the territory of the Sakhalin, Kamchatka,
Chukhotka, and Taimyr.
About 150 varieties of fossil resins (in Lat. Fossils means excavated)
are known all over the world. Most of them occur in northern hemisphere,
i. e. in Europe and America, as these continents are well investigated
geologically. About 50 varieties of fossil resins dating to various ages
are found in Europe. Best known are ruminate (Rumunia, the Carpathians)
aykaite (Hungary), simatite (Italy). In Asia occurs bur mite (Burma,
Thailand). Kindred to fossil resin copal dating from the Quarter Period
are found in Africa. Chemawinite (siderite) is found in Alaska and
Canada and fossil resins of broad leaf-bearing trees calls "Mexican
amber" are found in Mexico and Dominica. As fossil resins possess
different chemical composition, properties and genesis, they cannot be
identified with amber. The unique shape of amber pieces is a valuable
material for morphologic studies of amber as it reveals processes of
resin transformations. 70 samples of unprocessed amber from the rich
Museum collection are on display, including the biggest piece weighing
3.698 kilograms. The exposition on the ground floor reveals the history
of the cognition and application of amber. In 1860-1881 while mining
amber in the Curonian Lagoon, near Juodkrante, settlement unique Stone
Age artifacts were discovered which attracted scientist's attention all
over the world. This collection was of utmost importance for studying
the material culture of our ancestors. As these valuable findings
perished during the wars, only their copies made according to professor
R. Kleb's study written in 1882 are on display. The copies have been
made by artists B. Kunkuliene. Lithuanian sea coast (Palanga, Sventoji)
yields numerous amber artifacts dating to the Neolithic Period
(4000-1600 millennium B. C.). Numerous amber artifacts are being found
in the gravers dating from the 1st-3rd century A. D. Judging by the
grave goods, amber played an important role in the everyday life of our
ancestors. During archeological expeditions, the staff members of the
Museum collected about artifacts are found in western Lithuania, the
environs of Palanga included. Amber was used in many spheres of human
activity. The curative properties of amber were described by the classic
of Antique medicine Galen (A. D. 180-190), Arab scientists Al Riz (A. D.
864-925) and Avicena (A. D. 980-1035), Dominican monk Albert the Great
(A. D. 1139-1200). Artistic processing of amber flourished at the end of
the 17th beginning of the 18th century. Such guilds functioned in Brgge,
Lbeck, Danzig, and Knigsberg. The biggest masterpiece amber was the
Amber Chamber (1709, architect A. Schlter, master G. Turau), which
during World War II was dismantled and taken a way by Germans from the
summer residence of the Russian Tsar in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin). In
Lithuania amber processing has old traditions too. On display is a 15th
century ring, a 16th century amber cross, amber jewelry made by
goldsmith P. Kilijonas of Kaunas dating to the 17th century. In Palanga
amber workshops were functioning already in the 17th century. At the end
of the 18th century they took the lead in amber industry in Russian
Empire. Before World War I about 2000 kilograms of raw amber were
processed in Palanga annually. They were not of high artistic level. It
was mainly round beads, various brooches, cigarette holders, boxes,
rosaries and others. In the Republic nearly 500 artists are engaged in
making and designing amber jewelry and other artifacts. On display are
works by H. Taleikis, I. and F. Pakutinskas, D. Varkalis, V.
Kurklietiene and others. Modern professional artists carry on
successfully the centuries-old traditions. All their efforts are
directed toward the revelation of natural qualities of each piece. In
this connection mention should be made of such artists as Professor F.
Daukantas, B. and E. Mikulevicius, L. Sulgaite, P. Balcius, K.
Simonaitis and others. Works of Lithuanian artists were exhibited in
such European countries as Hungary, the GDR, France, Denmark, Finland
and others.
