Cipollino marble
Encyclopedia
Cipollino marble was a variety of marble used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose Latin term for it was "marmor carystium" (meaning "marble from Karystos
"). It was quarried in several locations on the south-west coast of the island of Euboea
in Greece, between the modern-day cities of Styra
and Karystos
. Some of these ancient quarries survive with a mine-face of over 100m.
It has a white-green base, with thick wavy green ribs, held onto the path by stratas of mica
. The colour of its base and grain grows darker the further north the precise location of its quarry. It is a metamorphic rock
, a crystalline marble with crystals between 0.2 e and 0.6 mm, with coloured veins of epidote
and chlorite
. A marble similar in appearance to cipollino marble was mined in the Iberian peninsula at the Anasol mines), on the Alpi Apuane
, in north-west Greece and Serbia.
First used in ancient Greece, it was imported to Rome from the 1st century BC onwards - in his Natural History, Pliny the Elder tells a tale of how columns of this marble were used in the home of the eques Claudius Mamurra, who had been an engineer for Julius Caesar
in his Gallic Wars
. The quarries yielding it became imperial property and cipollino marble became common throughout Rome during the imperial period. It was principally used for column shafts, including large and mainly smooth ones, such as the columns of the
pronaos
of the temple of Antoninus and Faustina
in the Forum in Rome. It was also used for sculpture, such as that of a crocodile in the Canopus at the Villa Adriana at Tivoli, where its colour was used to imitate the colour of crocodile skin. It continued to be mined and used by the Byzantine Empire
well into the 5th century AD.
Karystos
Karystos is a small coastal town on the Greek island of Euboea. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. It lies 129 km south of Chalkis. From Athens it is accessible by ferry via Marmari from the Rafina port...
"). It was quarried in several locations on the south-west coast of the island of Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
in Greece, between the modern-day cities of Styra
Styra
Styra is a village and a former municipality on the island Euboea, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Karystos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located in the southern part of Euboea, facing the eastern shore of Attica across the South Euboean Gulf...
and Karystos
Karystos
Karystos is a small coastal town on the Greek island of Euboea. It has about 7,000 inhabitants. It lies 129 km south of Chalkis. From Athens it is accessible by ferry via Marmari from the Rafina port...
. Some of these ancient quarries survive with a mine-face of over 100m.
It has a white-green base, with thick wavy green ribs, held onto the path by stratas of mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
. The colour of its base and grain grows darker the further north the precise location of its quarry. It is a metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
, a crystalline marble with crystals between 0.2 e and 0.6 mm, with coloured veins of epidote
Epidote
Epidote is a calcium aluminium iron sorosilicate mineral, Ca2Al2O, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Well-developed crystals are of frequent occurrence: they are commonly prismatic in habit, the direction of elongation being perpendicular to the single plane of symmetry. The faces are often...
and chlorite
Chlorite group
The chlorites are a group of phyllosilicate minerals. Chlorites can be described by the following four endmembers based on their chemistry via substitution of the following four elements in the silicate lattice; Mg, Fe, Ni, and Mn....
. A marble similar in appearance to cipollino marble was mined in the Iberian peninsula at the Anasol mines), on the Alpi Apuane
Alpi Apuane
The Alpi Apuane are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy, part of the Apennine Mountains. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to north-west, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana...
, in north-west Greece and Serbia.
First used in ancient Greece, it was imported to Rome from the 1st century BC onwards - in his Natural History, Pliny the Elder tells a tale of how columns of this marble were used in the home of the eques Claudius Mamurra, who had been an engineer for Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
in his Gallic Wars
Gallic Wars
The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 51 BC. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the...
. The quarries yielding it became imperial property and cipollino marble became common throughout Rome during the imperial period. It was principally used for column shafts, including large and mainly smooth ones, such as the columns of the
pronaos
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
of the temple of Antoninus and Faustina
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple in Rome, adapted to the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda. It stands in the Forum Romanum, on the Via Sacra, opposite the Regia.-The temple:...
in the Forum in Rome. It was also used for sculpture, such as that of a crocodile in the Canopus at the Villa Adriana at Tivoli, where its colour was used to imitate the colour of crocodile skin. It continued to be mined and used by the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
well into the 5th century AD.
External links
- Article on cipollino marble at the Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Accademia dei Fisiocritici di Siena.
- http://www.portocesareoinfo.com/Galleria_Fotografica/displayimage.php?album=2&pos=11Images of shipwrecked cipollino marble, near Porto CesareoPorto CesareoPorto Cesareo is a town and comune in the Italian province of Lecce in the Apulia region of south-east Italy....
.]