SPAIN: The Baltic region contains the largest known deposits of amber, a translucent fossilized tree resin sought by ancient cultures to use in jewelry. Chemical analysis determined that the earliest known evidence of Baltic amber in Iberia comes from Cova del Frare near Barcelona, where an amber bead was found in a burial that has been dated to 3500 B.C. This indicates that the semiprecious stone was introduced into western Europe through Neolithic trade networks 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.