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Source Image: PR316_05_02 of Marmara Adası Quarries: Large Column Base of Marmara Adası Quarries: Miscellaneous Architecture

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Description

Detail of base from the Prokonnesian quarries.

Monument
Marmara Adası Quarries: Miscellaneous Architecture 
Monument Part
Marmara Adası Quarries: Large Column Base 
Monument Type
Architecture 
Material(s)
Prokonnesian Marble (Visual identification)  
Date
post bc 50 - pre ad 450 
Keywords
Column Base  
Collections
Marmara Adası  

Location

Original Location
Marmara Adası 
Current Location
Saraylar 

Evidence for working practices

1. Toolmarks

Process
Rough shaping
Tool
Point
Method
Angle: Steep (60-70°)
Force: Medium
Description
The corner has been left roughly point chiselled, perhaps to protect it during transport, while a thin strip has been left on the side which could have been cut back if needed on the building site.

2. Toolmarks

Process
Flattening
Tool
Tooth Chisel
Method
Angle: Shallow (40-50°)
Force: Gentle
Description
The flat surfaces on this base have been worked with the tooth chisel.

3. Toolmarks

Process
Fine shaping
Tool
Flat Chisel
Method
Angle: Shallow (40-50°)
Force: Gentle
Description
The flat chisel has been used to shape the upper curve of the base.

Notes

This base is more finished than most of the roughed-out elements recovered from the quarries on Prokonnesos which are now on display in an open-air museum in Saraylar, the small harbour on the north side of the island. Most of these elements were probably abandoned because of faults in the stone or because they were surplus to requirements. Sometimes, however, faults have developed in the stone since antiquity, so that identifying exactly why these objects were never used is difficult. Whether these objects were produced in large quantities for stockpiling at the quarries or were produced to order remains debated but it is clear that the quarries contained skilled craftsmen, based there permanently or passing through, capable of preparing a range of forms for export.

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