Amber Trading

Notes (5) to Zeus by Arthur Bernard Cook (1925)

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referring to:Zeus a Study in Ancient Religion Vol 2 Part I (1925) by Arthur Bernard Cook
Amber / Eridanos
1
ucian in his little !ork On Amber or Swans clai"s to ha#e #isited the Eridanos and lost his
illusions$ %e sa! neither &o&lars nor a"ber' and the nati#es had ne#er heard of Phaethon(
)he *eltoi' he says' regarded a"ber as the tears' not of the &o&lars' but of A&ollon$
2
Amber Road
3
A&ollon (said the *eltoi+' !hen banished by Zeus fro" hea#en' !as sent , not to Ad"etos king of
)hessaly , but to the %y&erboreans$ -nce "ore !e are led to sus&ect that the %y&erborean land
lay !ell to the north of .reece$ And the conte/t i"&lies that it !as located at so"e &oint on the
A"ber Road$
Already in neolithic ti"es one branch of this great trade0route ran direct fro" the Baltic to the
Black Sea' tra#ersing the #alleys of the Vistula and the 1niester' !hile a second branch' &assing
along the 2lbe' the 3oldau' the 1anube' ca"e do!n to the Adriatic' the Balkans' and .reece$ In the
Bron4e Age and the 2arly Iron Age the 2lbe01anube0Adriatic route !as e/tensi#ely used by the
a"ber0trade$ It "ay therefore be regarded as reasonable to &lace the %y&erboreans of the "yth
&retty "uch !here Pindar &laced the"' near 5the shady s&rings of Istros$5
)he road to their far0distant country !as concei#ed so"eti"es as an earthly' so"eti"es as a
hea#enly &ath$ )he for"er !as the great trade0route that skirted the eastern shore of the Adriatic$
)he latter !as its aerial counter&art' the 3ilky 6ay$ )he one !as the track by !hich a"ber reached
the .reeks$ )he other !as the high!ay follo!ed by the birds$ And it is interesting to find that
So&hokles connected a"ber !ith birds' !hen he described it as the tears shed by the "eleagrides or
5guinea0fo!l5 at the death of 3eleagros$
7 Source: &age 899 in Zeus a Study in Ancient Religion Vol 2 Part I (1925) by Arthur Bernard Cook
2 Source: &age 8:8 in Zeus a Study in Ancient Religion Vol 2 Part I (1925) by Arthur Bernard Cook
; Source: &age 8<= in Zeus a Study in Ancient Religion Vol 2 Part I (1925) by Arthur Bernard Cook
Two Amber-routes to Delos
Herodotos The (west-side by the Elbe) Adriatic Route
-f the route by !hich the %y&erborean offerings ca"e to A&ollon at 1elos !e ha#e t!o #ery
different records$ %erodotos a &ro&os of the %y&erboreoi !rites :
5 By far the fullest account of the" is that gi#en by the 1elians' !ho declare that sa"red
things !ra&&ed in !heaten stra! are carried fro" the %y&erboreans to the Scythians>
that fro" the Scythians they are recei#ed by a succession of neighbouring tribes' !ho
bring the" !est!ards as far as the Adriati"> that fro" this &oint they are for!arded
south to the &eo&le of 1odona' !ho are the first of the %ellenes to recei#e the"> that
fro" 1odona they co"e do!n to the 3alian gulf and cross o#er to 2uboia' !here they
are sent fro" to!n to to!n till they reach *arystos> but that' after this' Andros is &assed
by' the Carystians taking the" direct to )enos' and the )enians to 1elos$5
Pausanias The (east-side by the Vistula & niester )
Pausanias' ha#ing occasion to "ention Prasiai' a s"all to!nshi& on the east coast of Attike'
obser#es :
5In Prasiai
8
there is a te"&le of A&ollon$ %ere the first0fruits of the %y&erboreans are
said to co"e$ )he %y&erboreans , I a" told , hand the" o#er to the Ari"as&ians'
and the Ari"as&ians to the Issedones> fro" these the Scythians con#ey the" to Sino&e
?
>
thence they are borne by %ellenes to Prasiai> and it is the Athenians that bring the" to
1elos
=
$ )hese #irst$#ruits , it is said , are hidden in !heaten stra!' and nobody
kno!s !hat they are$ At Prasiai there is a to"b of 2rysichthon' !ho died on the #oyage
as he !as returning fro" 1elos after the sacred e"bassy$5
!irst-"ruits
)he routes thus traced by %erodotos and Pausanias corres&ond' at least in &art' !ith the t!o "ain
branches of the A"ber Road "entioned abo#e' #i4$ that !hich &assed along the 2lbe' the 3oldau'
the 1anube' and the Adriatic to Central .reece' and that !hich linked the Baltic to the Black Sea by
"eans of the Vistula and the 1niester$ )he &osition of the #arious stations on the %y&erborean
routes and their relation to both branches of the A"ber Road can be con#eniently seen fro" the
"a& here inserted (&i$ //#i+$
It !ould a&&ear that the fi#e and a half centuries' !hich inter#ened bet!een the ti"e of %erodotos
and the ti"e of Pausanias' !itnessed the transference of the #irst$#ruits fro" the longer to the
shorter land0route' a considerable sa#ing of ti"e being thereby effected$ @$ .$ 6elcker' as far back
as 7:=A' suggested that the %y&erborean gifts actually consisted of a"ber> and his suggestion is
decidedly attracti#e$ If stones colored like !ater !ere a&&ro&riate to the sky0god' a"ber "ay !ell
ha#e been associated !ith' the sun0god$
8 ocation B Porto Rafti
? ong used as a %ittite &ort' !hich a&&ears in %ittite sources as CSinu!aC'D;E the city &ro&er !as re0founded as a
.reek colony fro" the city of 3iletus in the 9th century BC$ Sino&e flourished as the Black Sea &ort of a cara#an
route that led fro" the u&&er 2u&hrates #alley$D?E
= By the ti"e of the -dyssey the island !as already fa"ous as the birth&lace of the t!in gods A&ollo and Arte"is$
6hether the neolithic borings and cup-marks found on &ieces of a"ber in Schles!ig0%olstein'
1en"ark' and Prussia had any solar significance' is #ery doubtful$ For can !e lay stress on the
%o"eric descri&tion of 2ury"achos5 necklace as 5strung !ith a"ber0beads' like the sun$5
-ur enGuiry' as a !hole' leads u& to the follo!ing conclusions$ )he cult of A&ollon ca"e into
.reece along the older A"ber Route fro" the land of the %y&erboreans' !hich is best located near
the source of the 1anube$ )he Agyigtis0&illars of A&ollonia' -rikos' -ly"&e' Ambrakia
!
"ark out
the 56ay5 and &oint on!ards to 1el&hoi' !here the %y&erboreans Pagasos and Agyieus established
the oracle$ A%o&&onia in Illyria !as left as a "ilestone on the road' if not also A%o&&onia in
Akarnania and A%o&&onia in Aitolia$
9 )he #ery na"e A"bracia already indicates A"ber0trading
Burning jet (black amber)
8
%e adds else!here that the 3agi in their a/e0di#ination (a/ino"antia+ set fire to a &iece of Het (la&is .agates+
and' if this !as not consu"ed' announced that the !ishes of the !orshi&&er !ould co"e true$ )he conne/ion
bet!een the a/e and the burnt Het is not indicated and lea#es roo" for conHecture$
Amber
Again' a &erforated a/e of a"ber' nearly fi#e inches long' fro" Bohuslan (fig$ ?8:+ is described by -$ 3ontelius
as a sy"bolic or #oti#e !ea&on$ )he sa"e "ight be said of a s"aller s&eci"en disco#ered by A$ PasGui in a gra#e
of the 2arly Iron Age at Bisen4io$ A"ber beads in the for" of double a/es and ha""ers (figs$ ?8<' ??A+ ha#e
freGuently co"e to light in the long barro!s of 1en"ark and southern S!eden: 3$ %oernes and B$ Schnittger take
the" to be sy"bols of the sky0god or thunder0god> and' re"e"bering that He!elry in general often originates in
"agic' and that a"ber in &articular see"s to ha#e been associated !ith the sun0god' !e "ay readily grant that the
beads in Guestion had so"e such religious significance$
: Page 9A7
ontents
A"ber I 2ridanos$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$7
A"ber Road$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$7
)!o A"ber0routes to 1elos$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2
%erodotos J )he (!est0side by the 2lbe+ KAdriaticL Route$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2
Pausanias J )he (east0side by the Vistula M 1niester +$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2
@irst0fruits$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2
Burning Het (black a"ber+$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$8
A"ber$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$8