The Amber Road: The Silk Road's Forgotten Brother

Hello all! Xaralambos here with your weekly blog post!
Last time, I looked at the effect of British control in India, and how that lead to various changes within both cultures.  This time my sights are set a bit further northeast, and I'll try to examine the effects of the creation and duration of the Silk Road's forgotten younger brother, the Amber Road.
Amber, known as the "Gold of the Baltics" during the middle ages, is fossilized tree resin, and has been used since neolithic times for its various uses, ranging from a perfume component, to an ingredient in folk medicine. The Amber road came into existance to facilitate the Transfer of said substance across Europe. Because Amber was often found on the coasts of the Baltic and North Seas, often the fastest way to transport it to areas where it was wanted was overground. The various routes used to transport the amber became colletively known as the Amber Road, and Stretch from the Baltic and North Seas, Through Italy and Greece, and into Egypt. One of the shorter, but possibly oldest routes led from Modern day Estonia, from the Baltic coast, into Poland, around the Alps, and eventually reached the Adriatic coast. Several other routes existed within germany and most of Central Europe, distributing Amber throughout, but we'll focus of a segment of this route. The effects of the Amber road were prominent throughout its various routes, but it's effects on the cultures in Poland are rather interesting. The Cultures in that Area interacted with the roman empire along that route, which linked the Baltic shores with an amber refinement and processing center. The road had been under the control of the Celtic tribes, but was later put under the control of the Romans and Germanic Tribes, During this time, the route was used not only for the distribution of amber, but also for the distribution of various other wares, such as slaves, or other raw materials. According to the works of Pliny The Elder, a Roman soldier led an expedition into the Baltic area, and returned with a large amount of amber, which the Romans were quick to integrate into their society by using the amber as jewelery, and as a method of propaganda for the various Gladiator fights and colosseum games. Though the Road was destroyed by Germanic and Sarmatian assaults and eventually fell into disuse, It's effects on the various groups is apparent, as amber road Traded goods have been observed within various Przeworsk sites. Moreover, another culture within the area, the Wielbark culture, was home to one of the largest burial sites within Poland. Among the various relics unearthed, various accessories and similar items made of, among other things, amber were found.  Again, we find that through the Trade routes, various cultures came into contact with each other, and each culture was changed in some way from the experience.