Marble

MARBLE: THE ORIGIN

The word “marble” derives from the Ancient Greek μάρμαρον (mármaron), “crystalline rock, shining stone”, from the verb μαρμαίρω (marmaírō), “to flash, sparkle, gleam”.

MARBLE: THE HISTORY

The history of marble begins thousands of years ago, when the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia found in it the ideal stone to support the imposing public buildings and to constitute the columns of religious temples. From the Pantheon in Rome to the Parthenon in Athens, the most important buildings in human history were built in marble. White marble was considered the most refined, because it was homogeneous and free of impurities, and was mainly extracted in the quarries nearby Carrara, a center of marble trade since the time of the Roman Empire. The stone quarries of the Apuan Alps (where Carrara is located) were probably already used during the Iron Age. From Renaissance it was the marble used by Michelangelo and many more sculptors, who came to personally choose the blocks to work on. In the twentieth century, Carrara marble was widely used during Modernism and Rationalism styles.Nowadays white marble is still largely used for interior paving, furnishings, sculptures, interior decorations, vanities, kitchen and bathroom top and backsplash.