Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
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51
41.
Les Italiens dans le monde grec (IIe sicle av. J.-C.-Ier sicle ap. J.-C.).
Circulation, dnomination, intgration. Actes de la Table ronde organise lcole Normale Suprieure,
Paris, 14-16 mai 1998,
dits par Claire HASENOHR et Christel MLLER (2002).
42.
43.
Le Nolithique de Chypre, Actes du colloque international organis par le Dpartement des Antiquits de
Chypre et lcole franaise dAthnes, Nicosie 17-19 mai 2001,
dits par Jean GUILAINE et Alain LE BRUN, avec la collaboration dOdile DAUNE-LE BRUN (2003).
44.
45.
46.
Mythos. La prhistoire genne du XIXe au XXIe sicle aprs J.-C. Actes de la table ronde internationale
dAthnes (21-23 novembre 2002),
dits par Pascal DARCQUE, Michael FOTIADIS et Olga POLYCHRONOPOULOU (2006).
47.
48.
49.
50.
51
Supplment
This book contains the papers submitted to ASMOSIA VII, which is the 7th In-
ternational Conference of the Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones
in Antiquity. The conference was held in the island of Thassos, Greece. The subjects of the papers represent the state-of-the-art in the interdisciplinary field of
Science and Archaeology and Art-History and reflect a very broad range of
research and applications on stone, from the quarry to the final decorated object.
In particular, the subjects cover: (1) Archaeological considerations and use of marble,
(2) Quarries, Quarrying Techniques, Geology and Stone properties, (3) Provenance
Identification and Characterisation: Marble, (4) Provenance Identification and
Characterisation: Other stones, (5) Techniques and Developments, (6) Databases,
(7) Stone Properties Weathering Restoration and (8) Pigments and paintings on
marble.
ASMOSIA VII
BCH
ASMOSIA VII
Actes du VII e colloque international de lASMOSIA
Thasos 15-20 septembre 2003
F R A N A I S E
A T H N E S
B U L L E T I N
D E
C O R R E S P O N D A N C E
H E L L N I Q U E
ASMOSIA VII
C O L E
F R A N A I S E
D A T H N E S
Y. Maniatis
Lcole franaise dAthnes, qui a contribu lorganisation de la rencontre ASMOSIA VII Thasos, avec le centre Dimokritos, la
18e phorie des antiquits prhistoriques et classiques de Kavala et lIGME, a pris en charge la totalit du cot de fabrication des
actes dans sa collection, mais a autoris titre exceptionnel Yannis Maniatis recourir aux normes ditoriales anglo-saxonnes.
Pr-presse et photogravure :
Coordination de la fabrication :
Impression, reliure :
Conception graphique de la couverture :
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51
Supplment
ASMOSIA VII
Actes du VIIe colloque international de lASMOSIA
Organis par l'cole franaise d'Athnes,
le National Center for Scientific Research DIMOKRITOS,
la 18e phorie des antiquits prhistoriques et classiques (Kavala)
et lInstitute of Geology and Mineral Exploration
Thasos, 15-20 septembre 2003
CONTENTS
..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
XIII-XVI
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PRFACE
Lacronyme ASMOSIA dsigne lAssociation pour ltude du marbre et autres pierres dans lAntiquit
(Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones in Antiquity), fonde lors dun atelier de recherche
avance de lOTAN qui sest tenu lhtel Il Ciocco, Lucca, en Italie, du 9 au 13 mai 1988. Latelier
tait intitul : Le marbre en Grce ancienne et Rome : Gologie, carrires, commerce et artefacts. Il fut
suivi par une cinquantaine de participants qui reprsentaient de nombreuses professions : des physiciens, travaillant dans le domaine de larchomtrie, des archologues, des historiens de lart et des
conservateurs. Il fut organis par Marc Waelkens et Norman Herz avec le but affich dencourager les
projets associant scientifiques, historiens de lart et autres pour une meilleure comprhension des questions relevant de lusage de la pierre par les Anciens. la suite de cet atelier, une srie de rencontres
fut programme tous les deux ans et demi environ : la seconde rencontre eut lieu du 16 au 20 octobre
1990 Louvain, en Belgique ; la troisime du 17 au 19 mai 1993 Athnes, en Grce ; la quatrime
du 9 au 13 octobre 1995 Bordeaux, en France ; la cinquime du 11 au 15 juin 1998 Boston, aux
tats-Unis ; la sixime du 15 au 18 juin 2000 Venise, en Italie ; la septime du 15 au 20 septembre
2003 Limnas, sur lle de Thasos, en Grce. Cette srie de colloques fait partie intgrante de lassociation ASMOSIA : ils ont pour objectif de promouvoir la collaboration entre les sciences, larchologie
et lhistoire de lart pour une meilleure comprhension de lexploitation, du transport, du traitement
et de lemploi de la pierre brute dans lAntiquit.
La publication des actes a t bien accueillie la fois par les historiens de lart, les archologues et la
communaut scientifique, comme par les corps de conservateurs; elle a contribu susciter une coopration interdisciplinaire sans cesse largie. Dans la mesure o, avant la cration de lassociation, cette
coopration tait minimale, ce fut l, en fait, un progrs dcisif. Pour la bonne organisation et la publication de ces rencontres, on a galement eu la chance de bnficier du soutien financier dagences nationales
et internationales, comme la fondation Samuel H. Kress Foundation, lOTAN, etc.
Le nombre de membres de lassociation a plus que quadrupl, passant de 50 en 1988 environ 250
aujourdhui, reprsentant 25 pays. En dehors des actes de colloques, ASMOSIA publie galement
raison de deux fois par an lASMOSIA Newsletter.
ce jour, ce domaine de la recherche a fait preuve dimportantes avances dans la mesure o les sources
matrielles dont on dispose pour lusage du marbre et des autres pierres dans lAntiquit ont t largement tudies et o les matriaux eux-mmes ont fait lobjet de caractrisations gologiques et
physico-chimiques. Les bases de donnes avec leurs paramtres analytiques se sont dveloppes et les
BCH Suppl. 51
caractristiques de diffrents types de pierres brutes se sont accumules. Bien des problmes archologiques ou relevant de lhistoire de lart trouvent dsormais une meilleure rponse et une meilleure explication
par le recours aux analyses scientifiques et aux bases de donnes, quil sagisse de la provenance, de lidentification, de la diffusion, du traitement, des assemblages et de la prservation dimportants artefacts.
Le 7e colloque international de lassociation ASMOSIA sest tenu Limnas, la ville principale et le
port de lle de Thasos, en Grce. Il a t organis par le laboratoire darchomtrie-NCSR Demokritos ,
lcole franaise dAthnes, la 18e phorie des antiquits prhistoriques et classiques, lIGME (Institute
of Geology and Mineral Exploration). Le comit dorganisation, compos de Y. Maniatis, K. Polikreti,
Z. Bonias, S. Papadopoulos, T. Kozelj, M. Wurch-Kozelj et M. Varti-Mataranga, tient adresser ses
remerciements la Municipalit de Thasos qui a mis disposition la salle de confrences du Kalogeriko
et a tout mis en uvre pour faciliter le bon droulement du colloque, le ministre grec de la culture
et le ministre grec de lge ainsi que lAssociation des entreprises du marbre de Thrace et de Macdoine
pour leur soutien financier.
Ce volume runit les contributions prsentes au 7e colloque international de lassociation ASMOSIA.
Les thmes abords dans ces communications sont la pointe du domaine interdisciplinaire o se rejoignent les sciences, larchologie et lhistoire de lart ; ils refltent un large spectre de la recherche poursuivie
sur les pierres grce la coopration des sciences et des humanits. En particulier, les thmes abords
recouvrent presque tous les aspects qui concernent la pierre depuis la carrire jusquau produit dcor
dans son tat final, sans exclure les questions du vieillissement et de la restauration.
Tous les textes soumis pour publication dans ces actes ont fait lobjet dune rvision attentive par un
ou plusieurs rviseurs, ce qui en garantit le haut niveau, le caractre innovant et la porte scientifique.
En la matire, nous exprimons nos sincres remerciements aux membres du comit excutif de lassociation ASMOSIA, N. Herz, L. Lazzarini, P. Storemyr, J.J. Herrmann Jr., Ph. Jockey, S. Kane, J. Harrell,
ainsi quaux members du comit scientifique du colloque qui ont apport leur concours la difficile
rvision des textes prsents dans ce volume.
En outre, nous voulons remercier V. Zatta, secrtaire de lInstitute of Materials Science-NCSR
Demokritos pour son aide dans le traitement des actes et les tudiants-chercheurs du laboratoire
darchomtrie-NCSR Demokritos D. Tambakopoulos et M. Maniati pour leur aide dans lorganisation et la relecture des preuves.
Nous tenons aussi exprimer notre plus profonde gratitude lcole franaise dAthnes et, en particulier, son directeur, le professeur D. Mulliez : lcole franaise dAthnes, en effet, a support la
totalit du cot de fabrication et du travail de publication des actes dans le Supplment 51 du Bulletin
de Correspondance Hellnique. Nos remerciements vont galement Sandrine Huber, ancienne adjointe
aux publications de lcole franaise dAthnes, et Catherine Aubert, qui lui a succd ce poste,
pour la part quelles ont prise dans llaboration de la publication.
Yannis Maniatis
Prsident de lassociation ASMOSIA
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PREFACE
ASMOSIA stands for the Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones in Antiquity and was
founded at a NATO sponsored Advanced Research Workshop held at Il Ciocco, Lucca, Italy, 9-13 May,
1988. The Workshop was entitled, Marble in Ancient Greece and Rome: Geology, Quarries, Commerce,
Artifacts and was attended by fifty persons representing many varied professions: physical scientists
working in Archaeometry, archaeologists, art historians, and conservators. It was organized by Marc
Waelkens and Norman Herz with the avowed goal of encouraging collaborative projects among scientists, art historians and others in order to better understand the problems associated with ancient
mans use of stone. Following that a series of meetings were held scheduled approximately every two
and a half year: the second meeting was held October 16-20, 1990 in Leuven, Belgium; the third May
17-19, 1993, in Athens, Greece; the fourth October 9-13, 1995 in Bordeaux, France; the fifth June
11-15, 1998, in Boston, USA; the sixth June 15-18, 2000 in Venice, Italy; and the seventh in September
15-20, 2003 at Limenas on the Island of Thassos, Greece. These series of conferences form an integral
part of the Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones Used in Antiquity (ASMOSIA) and
their aim is to promote the combined scientific, archaeological and art-historical research for a better
understanding of the exploration, transportation, treatment and use of stone raw materials in Antiquity.
The publications of the proceedings have been well received by both the art historical, archaeological,
and scientific, as well as museum communities and have helped to inspire an ever increasing interdisciplinary cooperation. Since previous to ASMOSIA, such cooperation was minimal, this has indeed
been a great accomplishment. We have also been fortunate in receiving financial support for our meetings
and publications from national and international agencies, such as the Samuel H. Kress Foundation,
NATO etc.
Membership in ASMOSIA has grown over four-fold, from under 50 in 1988 to about 250 now and
representing 25 countries. Publications apart from the conference proceedings include the currently
twice-yearly ASMOSIA Newsletter.
Today, the field has witnessed important advances as the raw material sources for marble and other
stones used in Antiquity have been studied to a great extend and the materials have been characterised
geologically and physicochemically. The databases with analytical parameters have been expanding and
experience with the characteristics of different types of raw stone materials has been accumulating. Many
archaeological and art-historical problems can now be better resolved and explained using the advanced
scientific methods and databases. Such problems may be related to provenance, identification, movement,
treatment, assemblages and preservation of important artifacts.
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The 7th International ASMOSIA Conference was held at Limenas, the main town and harbour of the
island of Thassos, Greece. It was organized by the Laboratory of Archaeometry-NCSR Demokritos,
the French School at Athens, the 18th Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and the Institute
of Geology and Mineral Exploration. The Organizing Committee, Y. Maniatis, K. Polikreti, Z. Bonias,
S. Papadopoulos, T. Kozelj, M. Wurch-Kozelj and M. Varti-Mataranga would like to thank and
acknowledge the Municipal Authorities of Thassos for providing the Conference building Kalogeriko
and all the necessary facilities in order to make this Conference possible, the financial support of the
Greek Ministry of Culture, the financial support of the Greek Ministry of the Aegean and the financial
support of the Association of Marble Enterprises of Macedonia and Thrace.
This book contains the papers submitted to the 7th International ASMOSIA Conference. The subjects of the papers represent the state-of-the art in the field and reflect a very broad range of research
and applications carried out in cooperation between the sciences and the humanities. In particular, the
subjects cover almost everything on stone from the quarry to the final decorated object, including even
aspects of weathering and restoration.
All the papers submitted for publication in these proceedings went under a peer reviewing process by
one or more reviewers. This guarantees that the papers published in this volume are of high standards,
innovative and scientifically sound.
For this, we expresses his sincere thanks to the Executive Committee of ASMOSIA, N. Herz, L. Lazzarini,
P. Storemyr, J.J. Herrmann Jr., Ph. Jockey, S. Kane, J. Harrell, and the Scientific Committee of the
Conference and also to other professional colleagues who helped with the difficult task of reviewing
the papers presented in this volume.
In addition, we want to thank Mrs V. Zatta, the Secretary of the Institute of Materials Science of NCSR
Demokritos for her help in processing the proceedings and the research students of the Laboratory
of Archaeometry-NCSR Demokritos Mr. D. Tambakopoulos and Mrs. M. Maniati for their help in
organising and proof readings of the papers.
We also expresses his deepest gratitude to the French School at Athens and particularly to its Director
prof. D. Mulliez for undertaking the full cost and effort of publication of the proceedings as Supplement 51
of the Bulletin de Correspondance Hellnique. Thanks are also due to Mrs. S. Huber, former publication
officer of the French School, and Mrs. C. Aubert, present publication officer, for organizing the publication.
Yannis Maniatis
Current President of ASMOSIA
BCH Suppl. 51
ABSTRACT
Marmor thessalicum and Lapis Atracius were names of geographic origin given by the Romans to a beautiful
green breccia named verde antico during the Italian Renaissance. This stone was first introduced into Rome in
Hadrians times for columns, facing slabs, tubs, etc., and soon became the most important green stone of
Roman antiquity. Later in the Byzantine period it was also worked for sarcophagi, whole iconostasis, and baptismal fonts. Its extensive primary use, and the medieval re-use of spolia, gave rise to its almost ubiquitous
distributions in all Mediterranean countries. Both ancient and modern quarries of verde antico are situated on
the slopes of Mount Mopsion, close to the village of Chasabali, in the province of Larisa (Thessaly). The verde
antico formation belongs to a large ophiolitic complex of Upper Jurassic age. This paper provides a thorough
minero-petrographic and chemical analysis of its various facies in order to characterize and distinguish them
from the similar verde di Tino from the Marlas area on the island of Tinos, Cyclades. Marmor Thessalicum is an
ophicarbonate breccia composed of black-to-green antigorite and white-calcite clasts in a greenish matrix
formed by a mixture of these two minerals. Accessory minerals are magnetite, chromite, tremolite and asbestos.
KEYWORDS:
INTRODUCTION
It was in Greece that the Romans found some of the most beautiful coloured stones they used
to decorate their private and public buildings. Among these is what they called marmor thessalicum or lapis atracius, (the name comes from Thessaly the region where the quarries were
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496
sited, and from Atrax, the town closest to them). This white and black mottled green breccia
(fig. 1) named verde antico by the Roman marble cutters of the Renaissance/Baroque period.
The green colour is mostly due to the matrix of the rock, of a light-to-average dark tonality,
but it often features darker colours in some elements of the breccia, which may be of various
hues from emerald-green to black and of dimensions varying from a few mm to more than one
meter. The white elements are of a pure colour and of much smaller size, seldom reaching 2030 cm across. Gray or red-coloured clasts are much more rare and of a centimetric size. These
macroscopic features are quite similar to those of verde di Tinos, a typical ophicalcite also quarried in Roman times at Marlas, the N-W part of the island of Tinos (Greece) (LAZZARINI 2002
and 2007).
As far as we know (GNOLI 1988), verde antico was introduced in Rome in Hadrianic times: the
oldest monument where it has been in fact identified is Villa Adriana at Tivoli. It soon became
very popular for facing slabs and columns in most of the Roman provinces. Examples of large
slabs are found in the Hadrianic Baths of Leptis Magna (fig. 2), and of columns, the four that
once stood in the Arch of Marcus Aurelius in Rome, which we know from documents was demolished in 1662 by order of Pope Alexander VII: two of these columns are now in the Church
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Fig. 2. Leptis Magna (Lybia), Hadrian baths, large slabs of verde antico facing the floor.
of St. Agnese, and two in the Corsini Chapel at S Giovanni in Laterano. This stone was even
more quarried and used in Byzantine time when it replaced the red porphyry for imperial sarcophagi, and was widely used for columns in some of the most renowned basilicas such as the
Aghias Sophias of Constantinople and of Thessaloniki, St.John of Ephesus, the B-basilica of
Philippi (fig. 3), etc. Other uses of this period included altar tabletops and baptismal fonts,
sometimes classified as re-uses of ancient artifacts. Such re-utilisation started in fact after the
fall of the Roman Empire in the Eastern and Western provinces. In the former the Arabs appreciated coloured marbles and used them in the most important mosques. Columns of verde
antico are present for example, in the Omayad mosque of Damascus (fig. 4), in that of the
Dome on the Rock of Jerusalem, and in several others, like the Hassan mosque in Cairo. Some
are also present in the cathedrals of Canosa and Gerace (South Italy), and many in the basilicas of Rome (for ex. in S.Giovanni in Laterano) and Venice (St.Marks). Re-use also continued
after the Middle Age throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods when the shortage of
ancient pieces forced Italian architects to search for substitution stones on the Western Alps,
in Liguria and Calabria. Verde antico was newly quarried from the sixties to the eighties of the
last century; it is now out of fashion and only seldom exploited.
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497
498
Fig. 5. Map with the distribution of verde antico in the Mediterranean area: see the relevant paper
by L. Lazzarini in this volume for the identification of the sites.
The importance and popularity of our stone is well shown by a distribution map (fig. 5) made
from more than 6000 records of the presence of ancient coloured stones in some 400 different
ancient sites (LAZZARINI 2009). From this map it is evident that the primary use of verde antico was concentrated in Central Mediterranean, mainly Italy and North Africa, but also in
several Greek sites, and spread all over the Roman provinces reaching places very far away
from its quarries such as Tyrus, now Tyre, (Phoenicia) in the East, Colonia Lindum (Lincoln)
(Britannia) in the North, or Italica (Iberia), in the West. The largest numbers of re-uses are in
Italy, Greece and Asia Minor.
ANCIENT QUARRIES
The ancient and modern quarries of verde antico are located some 10 km NE of the town of
Larisa, the capital of Thessaly (Greece), not far from the village of Chasabali which remains
immediately to the south: they were firstly and carefully studied by I. Papageorgakis (PAPAGEORGAKIS 1963). The quarries are open on the northen and southern slopes of the western
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499
500
part of ancient Mount Mopsion (fig. 6) which is not formed by a unique peak, but by a series
of low hills protruding from a wide plain. In the northern areas, modern wire-cutting exploitation has destroyed most traces of ancient quarrying, but these, are very well preserved in
the southern sites. There, one can still see the organisation of the quarrying activity, with various extraction sites connected by ancient roads (fig. 7), often with high quarry fronts (fig. 8),
or with loci showing the typical stepped shapes and nice traces of the Roman heavy pick. Unusually rare are wedge-holes and abandoned blocks or unfinished column shafts. The latter are
probably covered by the many ancient, sometimes wide and thick, deposits of debris that are
scattered all around the quarries, and offer direct evidence of the very large amount of rock removed in antiquity.
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Fig. 7. View on the ancient quarries on the southern slopes of Mount Mopsion.
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501
502
GEOLOGICAL SETTING
Mount Mopsion belongs to the large mountain range of Mount Olympos-Mount OssaMount Pelion forming a Neogene horst between the grabens of Larisa to the west, and that of
the Thermaikos to the east (HIGGINS and HIGGINS 1996). All formations of these areas are included in the Pelagonian Zone of the Hellenides. Those of Mount Ossa are characterised by
marble and schist on the upper part, and by a well known ophiolitic complex in the low lands
towards south and west. This complex has been well mapped in the Platycampos Sheet of
IGME (The Hellenic Geological Institute) by Greek geologists (KATSIKATSOS et al. 1981).
The breccia occupies the upper part of the metamorphic complex, tentatively dated to the
Upper Cretaceous that is formed of a slightly metamorphic flysch overlying the so-called Aya
marbles and our breccia called the ophiolitic transgressive breccia of Omorphochorion. The
maximum thickness of this breccia has been estimated to 150 m. Below the breccia are serpentinites, metamorphic basic rocks and metasediments.
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10
Fig. 9. Photomicrograph of the thin section of sample VA 12.1 showing a micro-brecciated fabric
formed by clasts of antigorite (dark grey) and marble (white) in a mixed matrix. N+, 32 X.
Fig. 10. Photomicrograph as above of magnetite (black) and tremolite crystals in the matrix of sample VA 3.3. N+, 64 X.
forming patinas and colouring the two main minerals. Sometimes present in the matrix
are needles of tremolite (fig. 10). The matrix shows macroscopically different hues of
green depending (as it clear appears under the microscope) on the proportion calcite-toantigorite, the former mineral diluting the deep green colour of the second.
Verde antico has sometimes been referred to as an ophicalcite (GNOLI 1988), but its correct
classification according to the description reported above is as an ophicarbonate metaconglomerate.
The chemical analysis of the rock is reported in Table 1. From the data, it is evident that Si,
Ca, Mg and Fe are the main elements composing verde antico. SiO2 varies from 11 to 40 %,
CaO from 5 to 40 %, MgO from 11 to 34 %, Fe2O3 from 2 to 8 %. Small amounts of Al and
of Mn complete the overall composition. It is therefore evident that this ophicarbonate
breccia, is a rock formed by serpentinisation of ultramafic rocks crushed by tectonisation and
mixed with limestone fragments and permeated by calcareous solutions; the breccia then underwent an average-grade metamorphism in an ocean floor environment.
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503
504
Table 1: Chemical analysis of verde antico (VA) and of verde di Tinos (VT); <l.d= value below
detection limit.
N camp
VA
1-2
1-3
3-1
3-2
3-3
6-2
6-3
7-1
8-1
8-2
8-4
9-1
9-2
11-2
11-3
12-1
12-2
13-1
Aver.
Std. D
VT 1
VT 2
VT 3
30.50
15.30
13.91
25.08
28.11
23.27
23.43
23.54
20.37
39.69
20.66
21.19
27.71
11.84
32.03
23.12
19.27
20.23
23,29
6,74
20.32
29.06
31.30
0.72
0.34
0.55
0.83
0.78
0.72
0.65
1.27
0.80
1.10
0.67
0.74
0.88
0.35
0.77
0.75
0.63
0.64
0,73
0,22
1.00
0.64
0.61
8.11
2.51
2.18
6.73
4.80
5.29
4.63
4.70
4.87
7.16
4.29
4.74
6.34
2.65
5.93
4.37
3.52
3.94
4,82
1,60
6.44
4.74
9.52
MnO
%p
MgO
%p
CaO
%p
Na2O
%p
K2O
%p
TiO2
%p
P2O5
%p
P.F.
%p
Totale
%p
0.09
0.06
0.07
0.08
0.07
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.07
0.10
0.06
0.06
0.08
0.05
0.08
0.06
0.07
0.07
0,07
0,01
0.10
0.34
0.09
29.09
13.73
12.37
22.87
26.01
21.31
21.47
20.55
18.50
33.81
18.87
20.07
25.99
11.23
30.56
21.55
18.45
19.09
21,42
6,02
16.54
18.27
26.90
13.00
36.53
38.07
21.27
18.45
24.29
24.17
24.51
27.58
5.54
28.18
26.78
17.98
39.68
12.32
24.46
29.39
28.04
24,46
8,92
28.16
25.13
13.20
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
0.06
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d.
<l.d
<l.d
0.06
<l.d
<l.d
<l.d
<l.d
<l.d
<l.d
<l.d.
<l.d
0.08
18.41
31.84
32.99
23.24
22.12
25.08
25.35
25.28
27.37
12.74
27.41
26.75
21.34
34.47
18.57
25.69
28.58
27.67
25,27
5,39
26.94
21.72
17.60
99.98
100.31
100.14
100.10
100.34
100.01
99.75
99.90
99.56
100.14
100.14
100.33
100.32
100.27
100.26
100.00
99.91
99.68
100,06
0,23
99.5
99.9
99.30
BCH Suppl. 51
Apparent density
(g/cm3)
Bulk density
(g/cm3)
Porosity
(%)
VA3.3
whole
2.77
2.73
1.55
VA3.1
whole
2.69
2.64
1.90
VA1.2
black clast
2.74
2.73
0.37
VA8.2
black clast
2.98
2.93
1.93
VA3.2
black clast
2.75
2.73
0.78
VA4.8
green clast
2.66
2.62
1.65
VA3.3
white clast
2.72
2.64
3.12
VA1.2
matrix
2.72
2.66
2.25
VA4.1
matrix
2.69
2.61
3.09
VA4.1
matrix
2.75
2.68
2.60
The Table 2 and Figure 11 report the porosimetric data and related density values. As regards
this very last parameter, the average bulk density for the whole rock is around 2.7, a bit variable for the clasts; higher for some black clasts, reaching a maximum of 2.93. The porosity of
the whole rock is 1.9 %, higher than that of the values of the single black clasts (av.p.1%), but
lower than the other components, the matrix (av. p. 2.64 %) the green clasts (1.65 %) and the
white clasts (3.12 %), which seem to be the more porous of the components. The typical poresize distributions shown in Fig.11 indicate an even distribution of the small porosity for the
whole rock, with an almost equal amount of pores with radiuses varying from 0.01 to 1 micrometer, and pores with 1-10 . Black clasts show a more dispersed pattern, with a tendency
towards more pores in the range1-10 ; green clasts mostly show a bi-modal behaviour, with a
larger amount of fine pores (< 1 ); the white marble clasts, finally, show a concentration of
pores around 1 . Overall, verde antico is thus a rather compact material with a relatively
favourable distribution of pores.
BCH Suppl. 51
505
506
Fig. 11. Cumulative volume of pores in mm3 versus pore radius distribution (in micrometers and
in logaritmic scale) of whole rock and single clasts of verde antico.
Fig. 12. Plot of the chemical analysis of verde antico and verde di Tino in the CaO-MgO-SIO2.
chemical analyses for comparison were made on only 3 samples collected from ancient quarries NE of Marlas on the island of Tinos. The results show that the Tinian green is a true
ophicalcite essentially composed of antigorite and calcite with magnetite as the main accessory mineral. The microscopic fabric differs from verde antico since it is not microbrecciated
but characterised by an intimate mixture of the two essential minerals. Its chemical composition is shown in Table 1: comparison with the results of verde antico do not show the possibility
of a clear distinction of the two green stones based on the chemical analysis of the main components. This is confirmed also by plotting the results of the major elements on a
SiO2-CaO-MgO triangular diagram (fig. 12). The possibility of a separation of the two marbles may rely on trace elements and C &O stable isotope ratios measurements on the
carbonatic fractions of the rocks that will be done in a future research. For the time being, observation of the macroscopic features of the green marble from Tinos in the wide cuts of the
modern quarries and in a large number of polished slabs ready for sale, has shown that brecciation in it is quite rare, and occurs only on a small scale. The rock is also lacking white
marble clasts, being mostly characterised by white veins of calcite: these features seems for
now to be quite distinctive for a first macroscopic identification of the two marbles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to the Ephoreia of Classical Antiquities of Larisa for having kindly authorised samples
to be taken from the ancient quarries, and to Dr. Dionysis Matarangas of IGME, Athens, for providing geological information and documentation.
BCH Suppl. 51
507
508
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GNOLI, R., 1988, Marmora Romana, LElefante, II ed., Roma.
HIGGINS, M., and HIGGINS, R., 1996, A geological companion to Greece and the Aegean, Duckworth,
London.
KATSIKATSOS, G., VIDAKIS, M., MIGIROS, G., and PAPAZETI, E., 1981, Platycampos Sheet, Geological
Map of Greece, 1:50.000, IGME, Athens.
LAZZARINI, L., 2002, I marmi colorati usati dai Romani: verde antico, marmor thessalicum, marmor
atracium, in M.DE NUCCIO and L.UNGARO (eds), I marmi colorati della Roma Imperiale,
Marsilio, Padova, pp. 261-262.
LAZZARINI, L., 2007, Poikiloi Lithoi, Versiculores Maculae: I marmi colorati della Grecia antica, Fabrizio
Serra Editore, Pisa-Roma, pp. 223-244.
LAZZARINI, L., 2009, The distribution and re-use of the most important coloured marbles in the
provinces of the Roman Empire in Y. MANIATIS (ed.), ASMOSIA VII, The Study of Marble
and Other Stones in Antiquity Proceedings of the 7 th International Conference of the Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones in Antiquity, BCH Suppl., 51, pp. 459-484.
PAPAGEORGAKIS, I.,1963, T , A A, 38,
pp. 564-572.
BCH
Supplment
51
41.
Les Italiens dans le monde grec (IIe sicle av. J.-C.-Ier sicle ap. J.-C.).
Circulation, dnomination, intgration. Actes de la Table ronde organise lcole Normale Suprieure,
Paris, 14-16 mai 1998,
dits par Claire HASENOHR et Christel MLLER (2002).
42.
43.
Le Nolithique de Chypre, Actes du colloque international organis par le Dpartement des Antiquits de
Chypre et lcole franaise dAthnes, Nicosie 17-19 mai 2001,
dits par Jean GUILAINE et Alain LE BRUN, avec la collaboration dOdile DAUNE-LE BRUN (2003).
44.
45.
46.
Mythos. La prhistoire genne du XIXe au XXIe sicle aprs J.-C. Actes de la table ronde internationale
dAthnes (21-23 novembre 2002),
dits par Pascal DARCQUE, Michael FOTIADIS et Olga POLYCHRONOPOULOU (2006).
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51
Supplment
This book contains the papers submitted to ASMOSIA VII, which is the 7th In-
ternational Conference of the Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones
in Antiquity. The conference was held in the island of Thassos, Greece. The subjects of the papers represent the state-of-the-art in the interdisciplinary field of
Science and Archaeology and Art-History and reflect a very broad range of
research and applications on stone, from the quarry to the final decorated object.
In particular, the subjects cover: (1) Archaeological considerations and use of marble,
(2) Quarries, Quarrying Techniques, Geology and Stone properties, (3) Provenance
Identification and Characterisation: Marble, (4) Provenance Identification and
Characterisation: Other stones, (5) Techniques and Developments, (6) Databases,
(7) Stone Properties Weathering Restoration and (8) Pigments and paintings on
marble.
ASMOSIA VII
BCH
ASMOSIA VII
Actes du VII e colloque international de lASMOSIA
Thasos 15-20 septembre 2003
F R A N A I S E
A T H N E S
B U L L E T I N
D E
C O R R E S P O N D A N C E
H E L L N I Q U E