The marble from Thasos has been quarried since the 5th century BC, and is often pure white and coarse-grained, with resplendent crystals. The location makes it easy to be transported by ship, and the blocks to be obtained can be of considerable size.

A specific characteristic is that these white marbles are of dolomitic nature, making them somewhat more durable and resistant to acid attacks. At the same time, calcitic Thasian marbles are also available, being quarried in other locations and featuring a more greyish white, sometimes veined, colour pattern.

Thasian marble has a wide range of uses: Cladding, tiles, and linings, as well as decorative and monumental applications such as sarcophagi and statues.

Political instability forced the closure of marble extraction in the 7th century, and they remained closed for an extended period until commercial exploitation recommenced late in the 20th century.

Kallisthos offers both snow white and greyish white marble from Thasos for your projects!

Date built: 447 – 438 BC (decorations continued till 432 BC)

Height: 18 m

Base Area: 69.5 x 30.9 metres

Dedicated to: Goddess Athena

Material: Marble and limestone

Located on the Acropolis of Athens, Parthenon was built in the age of Pericles between 447 and 432 BCE and was dedicated to the Goddess Athena. It was constructed to show the world the power of Athens as leaders of the coalition of Greek forces after defeating the Persian armies of Darius and Xerxes. It was also used to house the statue of Pheidias. After its construction, the temple was used for more than a thousand years. Even after the effects of time, explosions, pollution damages and looting, it still stands tall today in the city of Athens, a magnificent testimony to the glory and success the city has endured throughout its time.

The Parthenon became the largest Doric Greek temple. It integrated the two architectural styles of Doric and newer Ionic. The temple spread to a 30.88 by 69.5-meter ground coverage and was constructed using the 4:9 ratio in many ways. The space between the columns with respect to their diameter, the height of the whole building as compared to its width, and the width of the inner cella in relation to its length are all designed according to this ratio. The brilliant architects of the time realized that anything perfectly straight of this magnitude would seem curved from afar. To cater to this problem and give the illusion of perfectly straight and symmetrical lines, the columns bend slightly inwards. This also provides an impression of a lifting effect on the structure, making it seem lighter than what the building materials portray. Adding to this, the stylobate of the temple’s floor is slightly curved and rises from the centre. The columns also thicken ever so slightly at the centre, and the four corner columns are imperceptibly wider than the rest. All of these traits contribute to its incredible grand and symmetrical appearance and give the impression of it being perfectly straight.

The columns were made of Pentelic marble, whereas the foundations were made of limestone. These columns were Doric with 8 in number when seen from the front and back and 17 from the sides. This was unusual as the more traditional design was six by 13 Doric arrangement. In the interior, the cella was outlined by six columns at the front and back. A grand door leads to this space with decorations lined with bronze, ivory and gold. It consisted of two rooms, the smaller of which, was supported with four columns and was used as the city’s treasury. The larger room housed the statue and was surrounded by columns on three sides. The roof of the temple was made from cedar wood and marble tiles. Palms and figurines towards the corners decorated these. The edges of the roof also incorporated lion-head shaped water spouts for drainage.

Below you will read a little bit about a real-life, hands-on example of how three types of different marbles have been used to beautify a small area in front of the entrance of a family home in Vienna – the blog picture on top shows the top view from the first floor.

This area is about 8m² in size facing NE with sunlight coming during the sunrise/morning hours and then again in the late afternoon and during sunset. A lot of trees from the surrounding garden provide cool and shadow during hot summer months. The terrace serves a dual purpose: beautifying the entrance area of the house, and providing a small relaxation area during the summer heat.

The marble tiles are laid out in a Greek pattern on top of a concrete foundation and screed, mixing Damasta and Argureios Helios and Olympos. These marbles survive typical Viennese winters without harm and stains, and without any special treatment. The specific tiles are polished ones, sized 30x30x2cm or cut to size to create a small step to the entrance door. Being polished, slip resistance is being reduced, however, not to the point of making them dangerous to step on when they are wet. A polished finishing in this environment creates the effect of nature being reflected in the shine of the stones as is visible in the picture on top: the trees of the garden are clearly visible.

With the follow-up project, the enclosing pathway of paving stones will be replaced to match the new look.

While these marbles are very forgiving in terms of maintenance, it is still recommended to clean them regularly to avoid long term effects of extended exposure to stain-causing substances. A bit more about marble maintenance can be read here: Marble Maintenance.

In it’s purest form, the stone is white, but it comes in many colours such as white-grey, greenish, black, pink, reddish or black-blue. Since the pure calcite is white, the variety of colours is a result of impurities in the limestone and dolomite rocks. For example, green colouration is induced when the limestone from which marble originates is magnesium-rich.

This breathtaking rock had been exploited in ancient Greece since the mid 6th century. Nowadays Greek marble is quarried from several areas around the country, each having unique characteristics. Pure crystalline Greek marble is also known as Pentelic marble. The name is derived from mount Pentelicus, located near Athens, from which it was quarried and used to build many ancient Greek monuments, such as Acropolis for example. The grey-white variations can be found in the region of Drama-Kavala-Thasos. The world-renowned pink marbles come from the areas of Lafkos and Pelion.

You may have heard people say that marble is a timeless investment. Moreover, this ought to be the case if you make the right decisions when choosing marble for your specific project. What you don’t want to do is pick the specific tiles just because of the looks, but consider their given purpose and quality.

Use of marble outdoors isn’t limited to flooring only, as it also is a fantastic choice for constructing outdoor accent walls, or even furniture, such as tables. Marble furniture is quite expensive, but it does provide a unique ambient to your outdoor or indoor areas.

If you decide to make an outdoor marble tabletop, make sure to seal only the upper surface, and leave the rest unsealed, so the stone can “breathe”. This prevents water from penetrating inside and cause further damage. Have in mind that marble stains easily, and even a spilt glass of water will leave a mark.

Marble is the only stone which is slightly translucent. This means it allows the light to slightly penetrate it, hence it was treasured by sculptors for centuries for its illuminating effect. It conducts heat incredibly well, which makes it an excellent choice for a variety of floor heating systems. This also eliminates one of the marble’s cons – the coldness underfoot.

There are a few additional downsides. Marble is a brittle rock, so the cracks are likely to appear after a given time. This is directly tied to another issue you may encounter – it’s challenging to find perfectly matching replacement tiles. When polished, marble surface is quite slippery, and you ought to expect it to scratch after extended use.

On the other hand, marble has a distinct advantage among all other natural stones, the unique appearance and elegant style. It ennobles any given space, both indoor and outdoor, as no other material. It is quite pricey and requires high maintenance, but the pure beauty it provides to the dedicated space is well worth it.

Damasta features a dark grey, almost black colour as background with strong, wavy and scattered white veins throughout the stone.

Its appearance is eyecatching without ever boring or tiring the eye, a trait that makes it suitable for both small and large projects.

Damasta is a durable marble, i.e. it can be used not only for indoor applications such as wall linings or low traffic residential floorings but also for outdoor projects: We can even find it as pavings in the streets of Rethymno for example – right in the busy centre.

Damasta can withstand cooler climates (such as mild continental European winters), and will not change its shine or hue too much even under strong and continuous exposure to sunlight.

The black and white patterns of Damasta also make it an ideal candidate for projects that combine different variations of marble into patterns, such as small marble terraces, etc.

Last but not least, Damasta does not require excessive maintenance or taking care – a little bit of cleaning every now and then will preserve its shine for a very long time.

Tinos has been used since antiquity; however, the quarries on the island had been abandoned for many centuries, and they were reopened only in the 19th century.

Considerable amounts were exported to England and the USA, where they form parts of such famous buildings as the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, or St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Cathedral in London.

Tinos can be obtained in reasonably large blocks up to 6m in length, and its strong texture also allows for a gleaming polish.

Evidently, the Green of Tinos marble can be used for sculptures, tiles, cladding, and many architectural applications.