Natural Science in Archaeology

134 6 Soft Stones and Other Carvable Materials
Fig. 6.7 Cycladic marble
statuette, Greece
construct colonnades, and for exterior carving that was painted. In some cases statues
called acroliths were produced, in which the body of an individual would be carved
of wood (frequently gilded) and the head, hands, and feet were made of marble.
Polychrome marbles were also employed, but these were reserved for the interior
of buildings (Kozelj 1988). Exploitation of colored marble began during the Hellenistic
Period, when it was used as a decorative stone in Ptolemaic Egypt where both
onyx and purple porphyry are also found (Dodge 1988). Variegated marbles were
quarried at Numidia, and the islands of Chios, Ceos, and Teos. Green marble was
imported from the quarries at Euboea, red and grey marble from Chios, and pink
and white from Teos (Kozelj 1988). During the Roman Period, colored or variegated
marbles increased in popularity, and frequently various types of marbles were
used in the same work: one for the face and body, and others for drapery or adornment.
Colored marbles were also utilized in interior decoration and for carving small
objects. The popularity of variegated marble continued into the Renaissance when it
was used in various combinations in statuary. It was employed in the minor arts to
fashion tabletops, veneers, parts of furniture, altar pieces, and decorative vessels.
Principal sources for high-grade marble required for freestanding Roman statuary
were found at Paros, Pendeli, and Dokimeion (Turkey). In Italy, quarries were
exploited at Luni and Carrara. Pure white Carrara marble from the north central
region of Tuscany (Italy) was used extensively in Roman times. This marble is
noted for its purity, grain size, and color, which make it a coveted ornamental and