Goethe’s Ants in Amber – History Blog

The German philosopher, poet, novelist, travel writer, government official and multi-talented Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was also an avid natural scientist. He wrote treatises on botany, rediscovered the human premaxilla by examining elephant skulls, investigated the theory of light and color, and played a central role in developing morphology as a scientific discipline. He collected a large collection of minerals, taxidermy, and other natural objects. When he died in 1832, he left behind the largest private collection of geological and mineral specimens in Europe, more than 18,000 items. Goethe’s entire collection is now housed in the Goethe Staatsmuseum in Weimar, and many specimens are still in the same boxes bearing the same labels in the philosopher’s handwriting.

He collected about 40 pieces of amber, which is classified as flammable fossil resin. Goethe never mentioned ancient insects in his or any other amber specimens. His interest in amber lay in its optical properties, like that of a crystal or prism, as part of his studies in color theory. Now, an international research team led by scientists at Friedrich Schiller University Jena has discovered three insect inclusions in two of Goethe’s amber specimens. One piece of amber contained the remains of two nematode black flies in poor condition; the second contained the remains of a worker ant in good condition.

This ant is a member of the extinct species Ctenobethus goepperti and lived during the Eocene Epoch. 47-34 million years ago. Although they are relatively common in Baltic amber, this example is remarkably well preserved, giving the research team the opportunity to create a 3D reconstruction of the ant through synchrotron radiation-based micro-computed tomography. This revealed two parts of the endoskeleton that had never been seen before in Cenozoic fossil ants.

Amber can preserve biological structures with unparalleled fidelity, and the Goethe Collection preserves them through cultural significance rather than scientific design, now yielding new insights through modern imaging. Our phenotypic redefinition of †Ctenobethus goepperti demonstrates the continued potential and relevance of historical collections for systematic revision and paleontological interpretation. Through this lens, Goethe’s own epistemological commitments to observation, transfiguration, and morphological synthesis find new relevance. […]

In a poetic reversal, we now use advanced imaging tools to peer into the same piece of amber that Goethe used to explore vision. Although Goethe opposed artificial enhancement of perception in principle, he readily accepted it when tools such as microscopes and prisms facilitated true observation. This study honors this spirit by combining visual techniques with empirical inquiry and highlights the enduring value of historical collections to modern science.