Marble
History:
Greece is built on a foundation
of pure marble. This small nation contains the largest and widest varieties of
marble found anywhere in the world.
Marble, a long lasting and beautiful stone, was
used from early times by the ancient Greeks, who were masters of the worlds
finest architecture, stone-cutting and sculpturing. They created create
exquisitely detailed statues and buildings which have lasted through the ages.
For example, The Parthenon, built in 441-437 BC of solid Pentelicon marble, is a
well known symbol of ancient Greek civilization.
Before too long, much of the civilized world
was importing Greek marble to create their own national monuments. The
glistening white marble was considered a treasure by the first users of Greek
marble. Soon, coloured marble became appreciated and widely used for its
aesthetic properties. Its texture, grain and crystalline surface along with the
ease of working with this material made it popular with the artisans of Greece
and then the rest of the world.
Just north of Athens in the Penteli mountain
region is the most widely known quarrying center from ancient times. Rated among
the words purest and most precious marble in the world is White Pentelicon
marble "Marmo Pentelico" or "Marmo Greco Fino". A famous
school of sculpture was established in nearby Thasos.
Though coloured marble was first believed to be
of inferior quality to that of white marble, this was a short lived belief and
before long some of the worlds most amazing constructions were created using it.
The columns of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the
world, were built with the green coloured marble of Larissa.
For the people of those early times,
transportation of the marble, both by land and sea, posed problems which the
ancient Greeks overcame. Many historians liken this achievement to the building
of the pyramids in Egypt.
Marble from Greece Today
Market shares in Greek marble have doubled in
recent times due to its increasing popularity and acceptance. Today, Greece is
capable of producing roughly 2.5 million tons of marble annually. Over 50,000
people are employed in the Greek marble industry by nearly 3,500 marble
producers and manufacturers. The companies of the Greek marble industry are
active in three main areas: Quarrying, cutting and the commerce of marble blocks
and end products.
One of the main concerns with the exportation
of Greek marble was the transportation of slabs to other countries for final
production. In 1989 just 25% of all exported marble was in rough slab and block
form, reducing to less than 20% in 1990, virtually eliminating the problem.
Meaning that Greece is now extremely competitive in not only selling the raw
material, but also finished marble products to the world market
The Greek government plays an active part in
the marble industry, having invested substantially in the upgrading and
modernization of the country's production facilities. Government geologists
identify and evaluate marble deposits of newly established sites. The government
also tests commercially produced marble, ensuring it meets international
excellence standards. This is part of an overall plan to guarantee the
continuing success of marble from Greece.
Greek factories produce many diverse marble
products, from decorative items, such as sinks and works of art, to slabs of
standard size and thickness. Factories also use the latest techniques and
technology to meet the demands of buyers’ orders for custom designs.
General Information
Marble is a rock composed of calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2).
It is fairly soft and easily worked. Marble is a metamorphic limestone or
dolostone. In commercial terminology, a marble is any crystalline calcareous
rock that will take a polish. Even serpentine (a hydrous magnesium silicate
metamorphic rock) is sometimes considered a marble because it is often cut by
veins of calcite or dolomite and will take a high polish. Marble is used primarily as a
building and ornamental stone, in monuments, table tops, wash basins, statuary,
and other decorative applications.
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