The amber gatherers: manufacturing techniques of button-shaped amber beads in western Lithuania during the 4th–3rd mill. BC

Amber ornament manufacturing tradition in Lithuanian territory was established at the end of the Stone Age, c. 4th–3rd millennium cal BC. According to excavated sites in western Lithuania, this period demonstrates a variety of different amber ornament types. Button-shaped amber beads are one of these. This study presents an analysis of 35 such beads from three Stone Age sites in western Lithuania. Microscopic investigation was used to determine the production stages and techniques of oval, square, and boat-shaped beads. Results show that the manufacturing process for most of the analysed material is similar, but in some cases (e.g. boat-shaped buttons), it differs. Buttons were a fragile ornament, as many of them in the studied sites were broken either during production or use. Therefore, it seems more likely that they were used as beads.