An
ant encased in
amber, the name for
fossilized tree
resin. Amber has been known since at least the fourth century BC and was used as fuel in
ancient times, as well as
jewelry, a use which continues to this day. The Roman naturalist
Pliny the Elder correctly theorized that because insects and other objects were occasionally found in amber, it must have been a liquid at some point in the past. The English word
amber derives from the
Arabic anbar, via
Medieval Latin ambar and
Old French ambre. The word originally referred to a precious oil derived from the
sperm whale (now called
ambergris). The two substances were confused, because they both were found washed up on beaches.
Photo: Anders L. Damgaard