Scientific investigation on the provenance of marble of free-standing sculptures from the archaeological museum of Kavala/northern Greece

Abstract

A series (thirty) of marble sculptures from the Archaeological Museum of Kavala, in North Greece, coming from Amphipolis and the greater area of East Macedonia, have been examined and analyzed in order to determine the provenance of their marble. A detailed in-situ examination with optical techniques was carried out, followed by sampling and laboratory analyses with the techniques of Stable Isotope Analysis (IRMS) for carbon and oxygen, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR), selective petrography and optical microscopy. In addition, the results from a new quarry near Kavala (Chalkero) that was field-examined and analyzed isotopically are presented for the first time. The results from the sculptures show that the dominant origin of the marble for a lot of them is Thasos, both the dolomitic marble quarries at Vathy and Saliara and the calcitic ones from Aliki or Cape Fanari. A very interesting find was that the source of the marble for several sculptures of the Hellenistic and Roman periods was the Chalkero quarry. Paros marble is used for five sculptures, Penteli and Asia Minor are also represented among the thirty sculptures examined. The marble provenance results have largely contributed to the archaeological/art historical interpretation regarding workshops and sculptors and facilitated the dating of some sculptures.