Amber is often called the “gold of the North”, and for centuries it was valued almost on the same level as this precious ore. Amber was treated as an object of worship, financial security of medieval nations, an aphrodisiac and medicine, a tomb gift, but most importantly, it was (and still is) a beautiful and valuable raw material for jewelers and artists.
It fascinated both the inhabitants of ancient Egypt, the great amber masters of the Baroque era and the creators of the famous Amber Room, inspiring them to transform raw lumps of this golden substance into sophisticated works of art, in which different color varieties of amber were skillfully combined with ivory or ebony.
During the conference, dr Robert Niedźwiedzki (UWr Institute of Geological Sciences) will introduce the listeners to these magnificent works of art, as well as answer questions such as: What place is the homeland of amber? How it came into being and when? And what does it have in common with feathered dinosaurs from 100 million years ago?
The conference will take place on 16 December 2023 at 10:00 AM in room 220 (2nd floor) at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of Wrocław, pl. M. Borna 9 as well as online.
Photo by R. Niedźwiedzki, scene from an altarpiece made of amber created in Gdańsk in 1640. Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Translated by Karolina Szmidla (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
