Does the history of amber have any basis in the mythology or religious practices of different cultures?
A#1: Amber is the fossilized resin of ancient plants that existed on earth millions of years ago. The physical and chemical processes that gave rise to amber in the past are still not completely understood, even though some plants living today are producing the amber of the future. It is known that only certain types of resin that contain the right chemical constituents can yield true amber, but that key physical actions in the environment over time (e.g. heat, pressure, amount of exposure to oxygen or light) are also important in the process of “amberization.” A#2: It’s now known that a suprisingly large diverse group of ancient plants, both coniferous and non-coniferous, have produced ambers. For example, amber from the Dominican Republic and Mexico had at it’s source the ancient hardwood tree Hymenaea. Amber from Burma (now Myanmar) was derived from a completely unrelated hardwood tree. Relatives of sweetgum trees appear to have been responsible for producing other ambers. Among the
A#1: Amber is the fossilized resin of ancient plants that existed on earth millions of years ago. The physical and chemical processes that gave rise to amber in the past are still not completely understood, even though some plants living today are producing the amber of the future. It is known that only certain types of resin that contain the right chemical constituents can yield true amber, but that key physical actions in the environment over time (e.g. heat, pressure, amount of exposure to oxygen or light) are also important in the process of “amberization.” A#2: It’s now known that a suprisingly large diverse group of ancient plants, both coniferous and non-coniferous, have produced ambers. For example, amber from the Dominican Republic and Mexico had at it’s source the ancient hardwood tree Hymenaea. Amber from Burma (now Myanmar) was derived from a completely unrelated hardwood tree. Relatives of sweetgum trees appear to have been responsible for producing other ambers. Among the
