NARRATOR: Amber, to the ancient Etruscans, was magical. For them, it recalled the sun with its fiery, glowing color. Named "electron" by the Greeks, amber naturally generates static electricity and is warm to the touch. These special qualities, combined with its natural beauty, made it a popular amulet, used for protection and healing.

JEAN MACINTOSH TURFA: Amber's ability to float on water made it a desirable charm for sailors---

NARRATOR: ---like the ones shown here, on this pendant. Three circular faces­­---with round, full cheeks---are cradled by a crescent-shaped ship, its sail furled as if coming into the harbor. To the right is their helmsman, in profile, with a pointy nose and chin. Jean Macintosh Turfa is a consulting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Museum.

JEAN MACINTOSH TURFA: Seafaring and trade played a major role in Etruscan history, from the very beginning of the first millennium B.C. Greeks and Romans conflicted with Etruscan fleets over trade routes and control of the central Mediterranean, and the Greeks and Romans portrayed Etruscans as pirates.

NARRATOR: Ships became symbols of trade, war, and travel, but they may have also symbolized a more metaphorical voyage.

JEAN MACINTOSH TURFA: Some Etruscan tombs and vases depict a ship as part of the voyage to the beyond, or a metaphor for the journey of life.
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NARRATOR: This large pendant shows little wear, indicating that it wasn't often worn. In fact it was more likely used in a funerary context. Though its specific use is unclear, this amber pendant could've provided safe passage into the afterlife.