Why Did The Greeks Get Marble From The Greek Islands

Marble art is part of the island s history.

Why did the greeks get marble from the greek islands.

Perhaps the most famous white marble parian of the ancient world hails from the greek island of paros. They were operated mainly in the classical and roman times as well as in the byzantine era and were widely used by the ancient greeks and romans. Green marble with greenish and white streaks veins and spots. Certainly their history as stepping stones of civilization from ancient mesopotamia egypt and anatolia present day turkey fascinates us.

Extracted since 1911 in the quarry of achinos which is in panormos in tinos island. Thus the demand for greek marble has always been important and the sector is strongly export oriented and thus greece is ranked between the major producers and exporters of marble at a global. The acropolis of athens up to statues and monuments of classical hellenistic and roman times. This fine grained white marble known as penteli marble was quarried around the penteliko mountains of athens.

The louvre initially promoted the venus de milo as a masterpiece from the greek classical era. Many ancient temples shrines and statues of greek gods are made from this marble both in tinos and the sacred island of delos. Now however the venus de milo is thought to have been produced around 100 b c during a later. The old quarries were very close to the sea.

The greek name for the island is thira or fira. Simply because on these islands live and always lived greeks no matter who occupied them and the treaties especially the newer ones took it into account. Why are these islands so fascinating. Claiming a greek island that a 2 or 5 of it s population is turks and then getting them i.

Crete of course was the homeland of the minoans. I think the greek islands draw us for a number of reasons. Apart from the existing deposits and varieties they have been fully associated with the masterpieces of sculpture and architecture of ancient greece. The pentelic marble quarried during the golden age of pericles athens 5th century bc provided thousands of cubic meters of material with which most architectural and sculptural masterpieces of the classical period were built.

Brinkman s exhibition gods in color has been traveling around the world in the last 15 years setting the audience and classic art lovers before the dilemma. Did ancient greeks indeed paint their statues. A long tradition in the art of marble with a long history that it s lost in the depths of the ages. The paint would be applied directly to bronze above or marble below.