What was the trail of the Amber Road?

The Amber Route is a trade route between the Mediterranean countries and ancient Rome with the lands located on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea.

The amber trade on a large-scale was developed by the Celts through the opening of routes to the Romans. This trail is a symbol of the growing power and influence of the Roman Empire. At the very beginning, the route did not bear the name. It was simply the direction of trade. The name was given later to recreate the old history of Europe. 

The route of the Amber Road

 

Romans in exchange for amber traded wine, textiles, ceramics, metal products or wool. Traders gained also information about distant lands, politics, culture, weather, and crops. Thanks to that, they also increased their knowledge about the world. There was no one specific road called the amber route. This slogan generally means a specific direction of trade. The course of the main amber route and its most important branches were established according to the accounts of ancient authors about amber and its trade, but also its archaeological finds. The course of amber roads could be determined with great accuracy. These routes led beyond the boundaries of the Roman state towards the amber deposits. The route was determined by long-distance land or water routes. On Roman roads, carts were pulled by mules, donkeys or horses. 

Learn more about the Amber Road here: The Amber Knowledge Compendium

 

The route of the Amber Road in the II century AD.

However, water transport was much more economical due to the possibility of simultaneous transportation of a large number of goods. The global trade along the amber route was most often represented by large Roman companies dealing mainly with handicrafts, trade and the organization of trade trips from the North to the South.