By Barbara Wheat

Held in conjunction with the Amberif fair, at the newly opened and very modern Amber Expo, the International Amber Researcher Symposium featured a variety of speakers discussing a range of amber-related topics.

Symposium participants, left to right: Jacek Szwedo, Department of Palaeozoology, Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences; Prof. Dr. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz, Polish Academy of Sciences Museum of the Earth, in Warsaw; Ewa Wagner- Wysiecka, Chemical Faculty, Gdansk University of Technology.

Organized by the International Amber Association in cooperation with the University of Gdansk and the Polish Academy of Sciences Museum of The Earth, Warsaw, the symposium was opened by the director of the academic seminar, Prof. Dr. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz, The Museum of the Earth, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw: “These proceedings, with more than 30 presenters, will enrich our knowledge about amber coming from contributors of such unique and diverse backgrounds.”

Entitled “Amber: Deposits, Collections, The Market,” the symposium attracted speakers from many parts of Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, as well as China, France, Germany, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and others. Topics ranged from highly scientific lectures to more historic and artistic presentations.

On the scientific side, Barbara Slodkowska, Polish Geological Institute, presented her team’s research on the formation of Baltic amber. Other presenters shared research on Raman spectroscopy and various instruments used in the testing and identification of amber.

The topic of mining Baltic amber deposits in Poland was addressed in a poster by Anna Malka and Regina Kramarska of the National Research Institute, Marine Biology Branch, in Gdansk. They noted that amber deposits from Holocene sediments have been found on the ground’s surface or at shallow depths in Gdansk, and that mining at deeper levels took place in 1868 in the area of Stegna, Poland. Current mining techniques include the hydraulic method, which is being used in Gdansk today.

In addition to the many presentations dealing with Baltic amber, speakers also presented research on amber found in Lebanon and Burma as well as Dominican amber. Prof. Dr. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz and her colleagues presented new research findings of bird traces in Dominican amber, including eggshells, feathers, down, and even micro-bones.

Dany Azar, Faculty of Sciences II, Department of Natural Sciences, Lebanese University, discussed state-of-the-art research on fossil resin. He attributed advances in amber research to tools such as x-ray synchrotron tomography and the newer generation CT-scanners, which allow the study of the internal anatomy of amber via nondestructive means.

Guanghai Shi, State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, shed light on Burmese amber, known as burmite, which is the only Cretaceous amber deposit in the world being commercially exploited. Shi indicated that it is also the first such deposit to be studied scientifically.

Insects in amber continue to fascinate scientists, who use them to glimpse into the past. Shown here is an example from the Polish brand, Amber Planet.

Several speakers covered topics on amber art, amber jewellery design, and amber collections such as the Hoffeins Inclusion Collection and the amber collection at the Malbork Castle Museum. Symposium delegates were hosted by Malbork Castle for an interesting guided tour after the conference.

The International Amber Researcher Symposium will be held again next year in Gdansk in conjunction with the Amberif fair.

For a list of speakers, visit: amberif.amberexpo.pl