Marble trade in the Roman Mediterranean
A quantitative and diachronic study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12373616 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Devi Taelman (0000-0003-1564-9737, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 848-875 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Roman Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1047-7594 • E-ISSN: 2331-5709 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1047759422000447 |
| OpenAlex | W4317743546 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 54 |
Marble provenance studies in archaeology have become increasingly popular in recent decades. This has resulted in a large quantity of analytical data becoming available for archaeological marbles. This article presents the results of a quantitative study of the distribution of white marble in the Mediterranean based on an analysis of the available provenance data for the Roman period. The study shows increased distribution of white marble between the late 1st c. BCE and the end of the 2nd c. CE. A decline in distribution from the 3rd c. CE was less abrupt than traditionally believed and shows object-, material-, and region-specific trajectories. The marble distribution data is finally evaluated within a wider socio-economic frame, considering factors such as the marble trade system and broader Roman economy, changes in cultural practices related to statue erection, importance of reuse and recycling, growing ruralization, and reduced interest of the elite in urban capital investment in the later Roman periods
Ancient history · Archaeology · Capital (architecture · Distribution (mathematics · Economics · Economy · Geography · Investment (military · Mediterranean climate · Political science · Provenance · Roman Empire · Statue · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Geology
Unravelling the use of Lesbos marble (Marmor Lesbos) in Jordan at the archaeological site of Abila
Latinization, Local Languages, and Literacies in the Roman West
How can white marble provenance studies change our perception of the stone trade in the Roman Empire
Innovative archiving of raw materials
The use of marmora from Imperial quarries in Sculptures Roman of Asido Caesarina (Medina Sidonia, Spain)
New evidence of the supra-regional marble trade network in Thrace, through the archaeometric study of sculptures in Roman Philippopolis
On the Use of White Marbles in Roman Forum Sempronii (Fossombrone, Marche, Italy)
Characterization and provenance studies of the stone tesserae from the “A Grandi Fiori” mosaic in the Roman villa of Casignana (Reggio Calabria, Italy)
Archaeometric provenance study of marbles from Porphyreon and Chhim (Lebanon) and early Byzantine production specialisation
A Bayesian alternative for aoristic analyses in archaeology
The Early Roman Empire
Cities and Economic Development in the Roman Empire
Population, Technology, and Economic Growth in the Roman World
The Economics of the Roman Stone Trade
An updated petrographic and isotopic reference database for white marbles used in antiquity
Provenance of the white and polychrome marbles used for the architecture and sculpture of roman Sentinum (Sassoferrato, Marche, Italy)
The Roman Emperors in the Marble Business
Gibbon was right
Geochemical Analyses and Provenance Determination of White Marble Samples from Churches in North Jordan
Geoarchaeological sea-level proxies from a silted up harbour
The archaeometric identification of the marbles of the Roman shipwrecks of Capo Granitola (TP), Isola delle Correnti and Marzamemi I (SR)
Ancient white marble trade and its provenance determination
Archaeometric approach to identifying the provenance of white marbles from the shipwreck of Cala Cicala (Crotone, Calabria, Italy)
The disappearance of the city of Luni
Modelling Temporal Uncertainty in Archaeological Analysis
Roman and late-antique shipwrecks with stone cargoes
Marmora of the Traianeum of Italica (Santiponce, Seville, Spain)
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A method for chronological apportioning of ceramic assemblages
Comparing archaeological proxies for long-term population patterns
Luni in the middle ages
In Search of Roman Economic Growth
Statue habit and statue culture in Late Antique Rome
Indicators for Roman economic growth
The Roman Ship 'punta Scifo d' and its Marble Cargo (Crotone, Italy)
Marble use and reuse at Pompeii and Herculaneum
Economic growth in the Roman Mediterranean world
Accessory Minerals as Tracers in the Provenancing of Archaeological Marbles, Used in Combination With Isotopic and Petrographic Data
The Architectural Reuse of Roman Marble and Stone Spolia in the Early Medieval Monte Sorbo Church (Sarsina, Central Italy)
A Multi‐Method Database of the Black and White Marbles of G öktepe (Aphrodisias), Including Isotopic, EPR , Trace and Petrographic Data
A Roman shipwreck with a cargo of Apuan marble ( marmor lunense ) at Punta del Francese (Stintino‐Sassari, Sardinia)
Petrographic Characterization and Provenance Determination of the Crystalline Marbles Used in the R oman City of B anasa ( M orocco)
Archaeological and archaeometric investigation of the Roman marble cargos of Porto Cervo (Arzachena, Sassari, Italy) and Secche della Meloria (Livorno, Italy)
Provenance of marble elements from the Middle Church at Hayyan Al-Mushrif, Northeast Jordan
Provenance investigation of white marbles of chancel screens from Rihab Byzantine churches, northeast Jordan
Monumental architecture
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |