Lepcis Magna and the Lesbos Marble. Quarries, Items and Trade
The systematic study of the architectural decoration of Lepcis Magna highlighted the unexpected use of a third marble
type, in addition to Proconnesos and Pentelic, that has not been recognised to date: Lesbos marble used for medium-sized
architectural elements, column bases and capitals, employed in almost all the buildings of the city. This phenomenon is
attested in many cities in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as in Rome and Ostia, and places the Lesbos marble among
the most important architectural marbles of mid- to late imperial age. The present study is based on a large number of
archaeometric analyses carried out both on architectural artefacts and on a new sampling of the Lesbos quarries.
Parole chiave / Keywords
Leptis Magna, marmo di Lesbo, analisi archeometriche, decorazione architettonica, distribuzione dei marmi
Lepcis Magna, Lesbos marble, archaeometric analyses, architectural decoration, marble trade
