Le cave di marmo nella tarda Antichità: aspetti organizzativi e produttivi

One of the most striking features of the Roman period is the unprecedented and widespread diffusion of marble and colored stones, made possible by the creation of an imperially controlled system of exploitation and distribution of these materials. However, from the 3rd century AD onwards, this system was marked by a series of transformations that might be considered as a symptom of the wider political, social and economic crisis affecting the Empire in this period. This papers aims at offering an overview of the continuities and discontinuities registered in the field of marble production in Late Antiquity (4th – 6th cent. AD), by focusing on the organizational aspects. A special attention will be devoted to the cases of Proconnesos and Thasos, which have been object of extensive research and thus provide a large amount of data.