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From Proconnesus came three different varieties of stone, which, according to the
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size of the crystals and color, were used for statuary or architecture. The two varieties used
primarily for sculpture are intensely white in color, and may have a light bluish hue. Their
texture is extremely compact, with fine or medium-fine crystals. The third type, with larger
crystals and a darker blue shade, was used in architecture. 300
The location of the quarries, situated on the flanks of mountains falling straight into
the sea, made Proconnesian marble easily accessible and reduced the cost of overland
transportation. Presumably for this reason, Proconnesian marble was listed as the cheapest
marble type in Diocletian’s Edict on Maximum Prices. 301
N. Asgari has done extensive research at the Saraylar quarries, inventorying more
than 400 artifacts, the majority consisting of Corinthian capitals, column shafts, and
bases. 302 Other artistic exports from Proconnesus include statue pedestals (at least six from
the Punta Scifo A shipwreck), grave stelai (Kızılburun), and the “garland sarcophagi” that
became extremely popular in the second and third centuries A.D. 303 These were shipped in
a semi-finished state, and after arriving at their destination, a series of specialized
workshops completed their decoration (Fig. 49a). Similarities with fragments of three
different sarcophagi found in 1994 on the seafloor of Capo Piccolo, a few kilometers south
of Capo Rizzuto, are noteworthy (Fig. 49b). 304 Forty-eight similar sarcophagi are still
visible in the original production center on the island. 305
300 Borghini 2001, 252.
301 Giacchero 1974, 210.
302 Asgari 1978, 467-80; Asgari 1992, 73-80.
303 For a good introduction to the production and trade of Proconnesian garland sarcophagi see: Ward-Perkins
1963, 119-24; Ward-Perkins 1992d, 31-7; Ward-Perkins 1992e, 39-54.
304 Corrado, forthcoming.
305 Asgari 1978, 470.