Marble Trading in the Roman Period: Punta Scifo D, and Capo Granitola A

The Roman marble trade was a diverse and multifaceted economic niche of the Mediterranean world, connecting many regions and peoples of the Roman world. The eastern Mediterranean supplied the majority of marble to the empire, more specifically between the reigns of emperors Augustus and Constantine. The regions of the Greece and Asia Minor produced by far the best-known types of white marble. The archaeological study of maritime sites, in this case shipwrecks, and the material evidence and landscapes of Roman quarries and ports, is vital to fully understand the long-range ramifications of the trade. This investigation focuses on these cornerstones of the trade: routes, quarries, and shipwrecks. Another unifying element amongst these aspects were the many ports of the region. A short analysis of how this trade evolved and grew, and how marble became a symbol of imperial power, provides a better understanding of the importance of the marble trade to Roman history, and archaeology. The research of many scholars who have diligently recorded their findings and data has made this manuscript possible. Some of the most prominent scholars in this field which guided the following research are: Ben Russell, Carlo Beltrame, Patrizio Pensabene, Justin Leidwanger, Lionel Casson, and Dante Bartoli. An analysis of the scientific methods used in the field of maritime archaeology was conducted, as well as how technology can unite these scattered cargoes of marble. The goal of my research was to create an understanding of how the trade networks, seasons, technology, the sea, and people all played parts in this expansive transportation of marble. What much of the findings tell researchers is that there were multiple peaks within the marble trade, including the types of white marble being shipped to Italy. For example, marmor proconnesium from the Island of Marmara, would reach the peak of demand during the second century AD. The trade of white marble was by far one of the most influential during the Roman Period. It rapidly became a symbol of Rome, adorning the many monuments, civic structures, palaces, temples, and homes throughout the empire. The investigation of the Roman marble trade provides archaeologists a window into the development and evolution of one of the most significant feats of trade in the Roman Period. Marble was the perfect stone for Roman elites to demonstrate great wealth, prosperity, and imperial power. The Roman Empire, and its entrepreneurial citizens would successfully create a thriving marble trade, that even to this modern day is alive and can be seen throughout Italy, and the Mediterranean as a whole.