Thassos Marble, Greece, The quality of Thassos Marble

The quality of the marbles

Before the exploitation of the quarry starts, it was necessary to know the quality of the mineral deposits. The ancient quarriers first took samples of marble in small masses 35-25-20 inches and in this way they could try both their tools, if they were strong enough, and also the marble, if it were good quality.
At the quarry "Vatisio", at Evia, there are traces of extraction in one of the upright passages of the quarry. This technic of taking samples is known only at Roman years.

*The approach roads

This problem appears in a different time limit following the tracing of the mineral deposits.
The establishing next to the sea was the most common choice for the transfer of the masses with ships. So, in Thassos we have the quarries "Saliara", "Vathi" and "Alyki" and in Cyprus the quarries "Agio George", "Fontana" and "Ammorosa".
When the quarries were in the mountains, special road had to be opened for the transfer of the marbles.
Not all the quarries are always at the surface of the ground, but also under it. That kind of example we have in Paro, where the good quality of white marble, that was named "lixnyti", was under the ground.

Top Menu

*Our thanks goes to the quarry of* Filippides S.A. *of Thassos* *for there support in the construction of this site.*
No menu on the left? Click Here	Learn More About Thassos