Origin of foreign and japanese ambers studied by elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to investigate the course of cultural exchange from the interpretation of the results obtained by physical and chemical analyses of archaeological amber products excavated in Japan; elemental analyses and infrared spectroscopy were carried out and the results were discussed in the present paper. Geological specimens, the origins of which are well known, were collected from Kuji, Ashikajima, Choshi, Hatoyama, Nagasaki, Inubosaki, Toriakeura, Gifu, Fushun, Palmnicken, Dominica and Dalmatia. Archaeological amber samples of unknown origin were excavated from Tomio-maru-yama old tomb, Ueno old tomb and Jionji-wakimoto old tombs in Nara and Awashimadai remains in Chiba. The composition of geological samples were found to be C:H:O=43~208:70~350:4, and archaeological samples to be 19~56:29~91:4 from the results of elementary analyses. The infrared spectrum of individual amber showed a characteristic pattern depending upon its provenance as was reported in the previous report. The archeological amber samples from Tomio-maru-yama old tomb (bead), Ueno old tomb (bead) and Jionji-wakimoto old tombs (bead) T0079, T0216 were found to have the provenance of Kuji in Iwate. And the amber artifacts excavated from Awashimadai remains No. 3-1 and ST5511 were identified as Choshi origin. From these results, it was concluded that the amber produced from Kuji were widely distributed in the Kinki-district at the Tumlus period. © 1976, The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry. All rights reserved.