Marathi Ancient Quarries
Greece /
Kiklades /
Paros /
World
/ Greece
/ Kiklades
/ Paros
, 5 km from center (Πάρος)
World / Greece / Notio Aigaio
quarry, archaeological site
At the 4th km along the Paroikia-Lefkes road you encounter the village of Marathi, a green and fertile locale with white houses and three small churches. Just past the eastern end of the village is where the ancient quarries are located. This is where the famous Parian marble was carved out of the mountain, the main source of the island’s wealth throughout its long history, but particularly during the Classical Age.
The valuable characteristics of Parian marble are its purity and luminosity. It is stone that light can literally pass through, even up to a thickness of 3,5cm (the renown Kararas marble of Italy maintains luminosity up to a thickness of 2,5cm, while the marble of Penteli in Attica only 1,5 by comparison). The marble of Paros has been the material of choice for some of history’s most gifted sculptors: Pheidias, Agorakritos, Praxitelis, and Scopas to name a few. An abundance of ancient art masterpieces were made from Parian marble: the Venus d’ Milo, Hermes by Praxitelis, the “Kores” from the Acropolis in Athens, the Nike and the Temple of Apollo on Delos, the Temple of Apollo and the Treasury of the Sifniotes at Delphi, and the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. It is estimated that 70% of the sculpture that was created in all the regions around the Aegean Sea was made from Parian marble. They called it Lignite because it was mined from passages dug deep into the mountain by lamplight. The tunnels and passages are still intact, as are epigraphs left by the ancient artists and craftsmen, today their exploration is possible via two different entrances. These quarries were already in operation as early as the Pre-Cycladic Period (3200 – 2000 B.C.) and were in use until the end of the 19th century A.D..
The valuable characteristics of Parian marble are its purity and luminosity. It is stone that light can literally pass through, even up to a thickness of 3,5cm (the renown Kararas marble of Italy maintains luminosity up to a thickness of 2,5cm, while the marble of Penteli in Attica only 1,5 by comparison). The marble of Paros has been the material of choice for some of history’s most gifted sculptors: Pheidias, Agorakritos, Praxitelis, and Scopas to name a few. An abundance of ancient art masterpieces were made from Parian marble: the Venus d’ Milo, Hermes by Praxitelis, the “Kores” from the Acropolis in Athens, the Nike and the Temple of Apollo on Delos, the Temple of Apollo and the Treasury of the Sifniotes at Delphi, and the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. It is estimated that 70% of the sculpture that was created in all the regions around the Aegean Sea was made from Parian marble. They called it Lignite because it was mined from passages dug deep into the mountain by lamplight. The tunnels and passages are still intact, as are epigraphs left by the ancient artists and craftsmen, today their exploration is possible via two different entrances. These quarries were already in operation as early as the Pre-Cycladic Period (3200 – 2000 B.C.) and were in use until the end of the 19th century A.D..
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 37°4'51"N 25°11'56"E
- Penteli's Quarry 162 km
- Marble Quarry 221 km
- Cimentas Izmir Cement Factory 232 km
- Quarry 375 km
- Marble Quarry 410 km
- marble quarries 449 km
- Mine 537 km
- Degirmenlik Quarries 765 km
- Quarry 766 km
- Limestone quarry 771 km
- Paros 1.8 km
- Paros National Airport "Panteleou Paros Airport" 10 km
- Drionisi 10 km
- Paros-Naxos Pass 11 km
- Panagia 13 km
- Antiparos 16 km
- Agios Ioannis 17 km
- Agios Georgios 19 km
- Despotiko 22 km
- Strongylo Island 26 km
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