2021_Ambre non figurate da Numana

Amber was abundantly widespread on the Italian peninsula during the Early Iron Age. Especially from the end of the 7th century BC, there is a higher concentration of amber artefacts from archaeological contexts in the Picenum. This is probably due to the increasingly important role of the region in acquir- ing and trading raw material. This paper examines some non- figural amber objects from the female graves of two major burial contexts in ancient Numana (AN) – the ‘Circolo delle Fibule’ and the ‘Tomba della Regina’. Most of the pieces orig- inally belonged to necklaces and jewellery sets that cannot be entirely reconstructed. Amber inlays were also used to decor- ate fibulae with bone coating. A specific type of full-dress fibu- lae was also decorated with massive amber lumps assembled through metallic joints. Some of these objects were part of the local attire and were used to display social ranking and traditions. In addition, a peculiar belt with amber tiles from the ‘Tomba della Regina’ allows us to explore the inter- national circulation of composite amber sets.