Amber Necklaces of ancient Ireland
Ancient treasures and wonders of Ireland, mysterious gems and gold, lost creatures and Irish wonders
Ancient sunstones, desired and sought-after
The warm, glimmering golden glow of amber, or ómra in Irish, has held deep fascination for people since the Neolithic and probably long before that. Its rich, flowing contours capture and refract the sun and firelight with equal facility, and it may have been one of the first gems worked by human hands. Its beauty has inspired enterprise and probably war from where it is most often found in the farthest North of Europe, as far south and east as the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
These necklaces date from around three thousand years ago and are usually found in bogland hoards and caves. They may have been cast there for safe keeping or as a sacrifice to the river or spirits of the waters. They are usually found in small pieces, one necklace was found complete with a short thin strip of bronze wire, ten feet deep in a bog at Knockmaroe, County Tipperary. Amber relics are usually found near to gold, hinting that amber was a status symbol for the wealthy and powerful.
One of the largest collections of amber beads found in one place was in Cogran, County Offaly, where over one hundred and sixty beads of different sizes were uncovered from a bog. Golden clasps and a small golden collar were found alongside the beads.
Amber is not native to Ireland, although many different artifacts made from amber have been found across the island, and it first became prevalent in the making of jewelry around the bronze age. The people who arrived in Ireland brought with them the knowledge of working amber as well as bronze, and helped to establish trade routes between Ireland and Scandinavia. Irish gold ornaments such as lunulæ from the bronze age have been discovered in Denmark and across the continent, indicating regular and secure trade routes.
This tells us a great deal about the cultures and societies of bronze age Ireland and Europe, since a requirement for safe trade routes without much risk of piracy or brigandage is some form of stable government and the enforcement of laws. Understanding that trade networks existed across huge areas whispers of powerful kingdoms, now all but forgotten, which existed more or less peacefully alongside one another during this mysterious and mystical age.
Even more interesting, linguistics studies and recent archaeological discoveries indicate that modern Irish is quite similar to the language spoken by these bronze age cultures!
As well as being used for decoration, amber was also held to have medicinal properties in folk medicine.
Knockmaroe, County Tipperary is marked on the map below!
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