A Scientific analysis of some ancient amber artifacts along the maritime Silk Road

The extent of amber trade along the ancient Maritime Silk Road is still unclear. In present study, FTIR and 3D Fluorescence analysis have been conducted on several amber artifacts excavated from tombs of the Han Dynasties in Guangdong and Guangxi in China, as well as one amber specimen found at an archaeological site in southern Thailand. The results indicate that ambers retrieved from Han tombs likely originated from both the Baltic Sea and Myanmar, while the Thai specimens potentially originated from northern Italy. These results could enhance our understanding of ancient amber trade along the maritime Silk Road.