Der Marmor von Thasos wird bereits seit dem 5. Jahrhundert v. Chr. abgebaut und besticht durch sein Kristallweiß. Die Blöcke können sehr groß sein, der Abtransport mit dem Schiff ist jedoch aufgrund der „verkehrsgünstigen“ Lage in der Regel keine Schwierigkeit.

Dolomitischen Ursprungs, ist dieser weiße Marmor etwas widerstandsfähiger und resistenter gegen Säureschäden (dies stellt aber keinen Freibrief dar!), wobei es auf Thasos auch calcitischen Marmor gibt. Dieser ist von eher grauweißer Farbe und kann auch veniert sein.

Der weiße Thasos hat ein breites Einsatzspektrum: Verkleidungen und Fliesen zählen ebenso dazu wie auch dekorative und monumentale Anwendungen wie Statuen o.ä.

So wie eine Reihe anderer Marmortypen ereilte auch den Thasos ein politisches Schicksal, das den Abbau vom 7. Jahrhundert an verhinderte. Erst spät im 20. Jahrhundert (!) wurde mit dem Abbau von nennenswerten Mengen erneut begonnen.

Kallisthos bietet sowohl weißen als auch grauweißen Marmor für Ihre Projekte!

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.

Nachfolgend beschreiben wir daher kurz das Beispiel einer kleinen Marmor Terrasse eines Einfamilienhauses in Wien. Hier wurden drei verschiedene Marmorarten miteinander kombiniert, um sich in die Umgebung des Hauses und des Gartens einzugliedern.

Die Grundfläche der Terrasse hinter dem Haus beträgt ca. 8 m², und sie ist nach Nordosten ausgerichtet. Sonnenlicht gleitet in den Morgenstunden und danach erst wieder am späteren Nachmittag über diesen Abschnitt. Zahlreiche Bäume spenden zusätzlich Schatten und machen den Ort zu einer Zuflucht während heißer Sommertage.

Der Marmor ist in einem griechischem Muster über einem Betonfundament und einem Estrich ausgelegt, wobei Damasta, Argureios Helios und Olympos gemischt wurden. Diese Marmorarten überlegen typische Wiener Winter völlig problemlos und sogar ohne spezielle Behandlung (was wir allerdings nicht empfehlen). Die Fliesen in diesem Projekt sind alle 30 x 30 x 2 cm und poliert, wobei die Rand- und Vertikalfliesen natürlich entsprechend zugeschnitten sind.

Polierte Fliesen verringern natürlich die Rutschhemmung, wobei dies von Marmor zu Marmor verschieden ist. Damasta und Argureios sind auch bei nassem Fliesen noch ausreichend rutschsicher, wobei man natürlich zur Sicherheit auch geschliffene Fliesen verwenden könnte.

Der große Vorteil der polierten Fliesen ist die intensive Reflexion der Natur der Umgebung in den Fliesen: Die Bäume, die wiegenden Äste und rauschenden Blätter spiegeln sich sowohl in den hellen als auch dunklen Akzenten der Terrasse wider.

Wie bereits erwähnt sind diese drei Sorten Marmor sehr nachgiebig und vergebend, wenn es um Pflege geht, was aber nicht heißt, dass man es darauf ankommen lassen muss. Regelmäßige Pflege ist kein enormer Aufwand, mit dem Auto fährt man ja auch in die Waschstraße. Ein kurzes Einlesen in die „Wartung“ von Marmor gibt es hier: Marmor Pflege.

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 wird auch heute noch aktiv abgebaut: Die Insel Tinos ist Teil der Kykladen, wobei es insteressanterweise auch weißen Marmor aus Tinos gibt.

Tinos wird bereits seit der Antike verwendet, allerdings wurden die Steinbrüche später über Jahrhunderte hinweg verlassen. Erst im 19. Jahrhundert begann man wieder, Tinos aktiv abzubauen.

Große Mengen wurden nach England und in die USA exportiert, wo sie heute noch so berühmte Bauten wie das Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh oder die St. Paul’s Cathedral und Westminster Cathedral in London schmücken.

Tinos lässt sich in durchaus großen Blöcken abbauen, oft bis zu 6 Meter Länge, und die Beschaffenheit dieses Marmors erlaubt auch entsprechende Bearbeitung zu strahlendem Glanz.

Tinos eignet sich für viele Anwendungsbereiche: Skulpturen, Fliesen, Wandverkleidungen und andere architektonische Zwecke.