Wikimapia is a multilingual open-content collaborative map, where anyone can create place tags and share their knowledge.

Marathi Ancient Quarries

Greece / Kiklades / Paros /
 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..
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   37°4'51"N   25°11'56"E

Comments

  • First photo shows the entrance to one of the larger quarries, encountered as you first climb up the path from the road. The second pic shows the view from inside looking back toward the entrance. The actual tunnel goes back considerably farther, so far, in fact, that you really must be careful inside. An electric torch is a must. The experience of entering these quarries makes one think about the conditions endured by the ancient people who worked them. One would not have wanted to be a slave or prisoner in ancient times (nor in modern times, I suppose).
  •  171 km
  •  194 km
  •  197 km
  •  245 km
  •  255 km
  •  327 km
  •  372 km
  •  440 km
  •  453 km
  •  479 km
This article was last modified 14 years ago