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(France). 293 The Punta Scifo A shipwreck had both a lighter cargo (ca. 200 tons of marble),
and smaller overall dimensions: it was about 30 m long, and
10 m wide. The Mahdia wreck’s 70 column shafts and 45 capitals and bases of Pentelic
marble are completely finished, not rough-hewn as at Punta Scifo A.
The smaller artifacts of the ship's secondary cargo, however, show remarkable
similarities. The lions’ paws visible at the four corners of the stands from Punta Scifo A
have close parallels with in the lions’ paws decorating the supports of the candelabra found
at Mahdia. 294 Furthermore, both ships transported adjustable bronze lamp stands supported
by a three-footed base with lion’s paws; five candelabra were discovered at Mahdia, and
one at Punta Scifo A. 295 Finally, the small sculptural group representing Eros and Psyche
found at Punta Scifo recalls the statuette of a winged Eros from Mahdia. 296
The Marble Shipwrecks off Croton and Quarry Provenience
The last topic to review, before concluding this study of the Punta Scifo A wreck
site, is an analysis of the quarries that produced the marbles artifacts the ship had on board.
The Roman world knew a large number of marble types, far more than the 19 mentioned in
Diocletian’s Edict. The most comprehensive study of marble varieties from Roman times
is G. Borghini’s Marmi Antichi, which enumerates 132 different qualities of white and
colored stones. The same quarry could provide more than one variety of marble, and along
293 Pomey 1982, 145-6.
294 Cain and Dräger 1994, 239-57.
295 Baratte 1994, 607.
296 Söldner 1994, 399-429.