Archaeologists have identified a previously unknown 3,500-year-old trade network dubbed the 'Jet Path'. By tracing the chemical signature of jet jewelry found in Mycenaean tombs, researchers have linked the Aegean elite to deposits in the Baltic region and Northern England, suggesting a highly organized luxury trade.
This discovery proves that Bronze Age trade was far more expansive than previously thought, involving the transport of semi-precious materials over thousands of miles. The research suggests that maritime and overland routes through Central Europe were intricately connected to facilitate the flow of these high-status goods to the Mediterranean.