Antique quarries of marmor troadense (NW Turkey): insights from feld mapping and absolute dating

Abstract

In this study, we present new feld and chronological data from 2 antique quarries of marmor troadense (Kestanbol quartz-monzonite) in northwestern Turkey. Marmor troadense has been mined and the building stones have been exported all over theMediterranean region since approximately 2500 years ago. Analysis of 11 samples from the quarried bedrock for cosmogenic 10Beshowed that the landscape is so old that the inheritance obscured the absolute dating of the operation periods. Nonetheless, 14C analysisof 4 charcoal samples from the sediments covering the ruins of Alexandria Troas indicated that these quarries stopped operating no laterthan 395 AD. Tese lines of evidence are in accordance with the results of feld mapping. First, we mapped Kestanbol quartz-monzonitein detail and prepared a detailed geoarchaeological map of the quarrying activity in this area. We estimated the excavated amount ofrock in 2 quarries to be >750 m3 and identifed 60 columns of granite and other building stones. Our fndings suggest a gross budget ofapproximately 150 million euros for the quarry operations in this region based on present costs. Various operation periods of this largeeconomy, if present, still remain to be uncovered.