|
The messages conveyed by the buildings composed of natural stone
produced over the last 5000 years, i.e. from what is generally regarded
as the beginning of civilization, bear witness to the various different
epochs. Most of the monumental historical buildings are made of hard
stones such as granite and basalt.
The finest examples of these are to be found in works from the Ancient
Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Hittite civilizations that have defied the
passage of the centuries in preserving for us the cultural heritage of
these epochs. The men of those civilizations displayed incredible
patience over many years in preserving the images of their gods in
stone sometimes brought from a distance of hundreds, in some cases
thousands of kilometres. The finest and the most famous of these are
the cities (Memphis, Luxor, Karnak) adorned with pyramids and temples
composed of blocks and columns weighing hundreds of tons from
the syenite quarries in the Egypt-Assuan (Syenne) region.
The monuments in centers of habitation displaying the characteristics
of the Hittite, Ancient Greek and Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and
Ottoman civilizations which have stood for thousands of years in
Anatolia and the still active quarries from which the material was
obtained bear witness to the various periods to which they belong.
Traces of past activity in centers of habitation in Western Anatolia such
as Troy, Bergama, Ephesus, Aphrodisias and Hierapolis (Pamukkale)
and the quarries connected with them reflect the level of technical
knowledge in these periods. The hard, dark-coloured materials used in
the Bronze and Hittite periods (1200-200 BC), such as basalt and
andesite, which were very difficult to process, were replaced in the
Aegean cultures by the much more easily processed and shaped
"White Marble" varieties. The main reason for the widespread use of
marble lay in its glossy white colour, the possibility of its extraction in
large blocks and its suitability for use in three-dimensional plastic works
of art reflecting human emotions.
It is a matter of great regret that of the Temple of Artemis, the
Seventh Wonder of the World, erected in the 4th century BC, only
one statuette has survived. This temple, which covered an area of
55 x 110 m and was 18 m in height, was the first example of a monumental
building in the world built of marble (See Photo 3). Examples of the
use of marble were to multiply in later years, with the Altar of Zeus at
Bergama, the Temple of Apollo and the Klaros statues at Didime and
the statues at Aphrodisias that continue to arouse wonder and admiration
by the extraordinary skill with which they were carved.
Use of stone in Anatolia in the Past -- Page 2 --
Please click here inorder to view articles main page
|
The famous obelisk in the ancient granite quarry in Aswan-Egypt which broke while being extracted and
had to be left in place. (3000 BC) Length
42m., weight 1,150 tonnes.
Column base half-processed by opening a canal left in the ancient
marble quarries in the Harmancik district of the borough of Saraylar on Marmara Island. Diameter 4.5 m,
height 3 m
The earliest known underground marble block quarry in historical times.
Kuflini, Ephesus. 16-17,000 m3 of marble is thought to have been extracted from this
quarry to be used in the construction of the
Temple of Artemis
|
