Distribution Routes of Amber Beads in Eastern Europe during the Early Middle Ages

The article is dedicated to the analysis of amber beads from the 6th–7th centuries and the reconstruction of their distribution routes in Eastern Europe after the destabilization of the Great Amber Road during the Migration Period. Based on typological study of archaeological material, characteristic features of amber beads from this period have been identified, namely: irregular shape of items, likely related to the crude processing of raw materials, dark brown colour, cracking, and predominance of prismatic types with triangular or quadrangular cross-sections. These characteristics indicate changes in their manufacturing techniques and can serve as a specific chronological marker. Analysis of existing concepts regarding the origin and distribution routes of amber showed that the most well-argued hypothesis concerns the functioning of a trade route along the Neman-Berezina water route, which connected the Baltic region with Southeastern Europe. The alternative assumption about the local origin of amber from deposits in Right-Bank Ukraine requires additional verification using methods from the natural sciences.