On the Attribution to Thasos of Dolomitic Marble Sculpture and Architectural Elements

The application of scientific methods of analysis to marble sculptures has facilitated provenance studies of individual pieces, the assessment of composite restorations, and research into patterns of quarry exploitation in the ancient Mediterranean world. A single analytical technique, however, is rarely sufficient to unambiguously attribute a provenance for a marble object. The elemental and isotopic compositions of many quarries overlap with one another, as do the physical properties revealed by cathodoluminescence and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. An exception to this rule is the Cape Vathy source on the island of Thasos in the northern Aegean, which appears to have been the only dolomitic marble source used in the Mediterranean region. The importance of this source throughout antiquity has been discussed elsewhere [J.J. Herrmann, Jr. and R. Newman, "The Exportation of Dolomitic Sculptural Marble from Thasos: Evidence from Mediterranean and Other Collections," in Y. Maniatis, N. Herz, and Y. Basiakos eds., The Study of Marble and Other Stones Used in Antiquity, ASMOSIA III, Athens, 17-19 May 1993 (London 1995)]; here we present analytical data for 75 sculptures from American and European museums which demonstrate that all are both dolomitic and have a single isotopic signature - that of Cape Vathy (Thasos). These results indicate that a simple, inexpensive and essentially non-destructive "dolomite test" can be used to determine whether a marble piece is from Cape Vathy. In conjunction with stylistic and contextual information, the history of exploitation of this particular source may be reconstructed.