Marble Distribution Patterns in the Early Byzantine Southwestern Levant

Quantitative and Spatial Approaches

Bibliographic Data

ID4538207
AuthorsMariusz Gwiazda (0000-0002-9984-9375, Mediterranean University), Oskar Graszka (0000-0003-2722-4699, Institute of Geodesy and Cartography), Anna Fijałkowska (0000-0002-0567-9863, Institute of Geodesy and Cartography)
Year2025
Volume129
Issue4
Pages573-590
Publication date2025-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/736547
OpenAlexW4414265835
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

This study applies a quantitative and spatial approach to Early Byzantine marble finds from the southwestern Levant, integrating data into a theoretical model of overland transport costs. While the largest proportion of marble finds is concentrated along the Mediterranean coast near seaports, where transport costs were lower, the most significant variation in different categories of finds occurs farther inland. This unexpected variation suggests that factors beyond transport costs, such as the cultural and religious significance of sites, also influenced the distribution of marble objects. Sites with religious importance, for example, appear to have played a key role in this pattern, highlighting the complex interplay between economic and cultural forces in the Early Byzantine period. This study is the first comprehensive quantitative and spatial analysis of marble finds from the Early Byzantine period, the results of which show the patterns of distribution of imported marbles and reveal factors impacting this trade.1

Byzantine architecture · Distribution (mathematics) · Mediterranean climate · Spatial distribution · Variation (astronomy) · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

Tools

Open DOI