Sulla presenza di pietre e marmi colorati di tradizione romana nell’isola di Cipro: note preliminari

Fabrizio Antonelli,

Abstract

The paper reports the preliminary results of the first identification of the coloured marbles and stones used for decoration and architecture in the island of Cyprus during the Roman and Byzantine periods. Three important archaeoiogical sites have been considered: Nea Paphos (west coast), Kourion (south-west coast) and Salamis (north-east coast).
According to the generai consolidation of the relationships with Constantinople that characterizes the political and artistic orientation of the island during the VI century, as well as to the “building supporting” undertaken by Justinian I in any province of his empire, the data collected show the clear predominance of stone materials coming from Asia Minor (marmor proconnesium, marmor docimium, marmor troadense, marmor phrygium, marmor sagarium, marmor carium, alabastro fiorito and misian marble) followed by the Greek (marmor carystium, marmor scyreticum, marmor taenarium, marmor thessalicum, marmor lesbium, lapis lacedaemonius, breccia di Aleppo) and the Egyptian stones (lapis pirrhopoecilos, lapis porphyrites, greco scritto, alabastro a pecorella and, most likely, diorite). […]