List of ancient Greek and Roman monoliths

This is a list of ancient monoliths found in all types of Greek and Roman buildings.

quarried, but not moved
quarried and moved
quarried, moved and lifted clear off the ground into their position (architraves etc.)
quarried, moved and erected in an upright position (columns etc.)

Transporting was done by land or water (or a combination of both), in the later case often by special-built ships such as obelisk carriers.^[1] For lifting operations, ancient cranes were employed since ca. 515 BC,^[2] such as in the construction of Trajan's Column.^[3]

It should be stressed that all numbers are estimations since only in the rarest cases have monoliths been actually weighed. Rather, weight is calculated by multiplying volume by density. The main source, J. J. Coulton, assumes 2.75 t/m³ for marble and 2.25 t/m³ for other stone.^[4] For an explanation of the large margin of error, which often leads to widely differing numbers, see these introductory remarks.

Greek monoliths

Below a selection of Greek monoliths sorted by their date.

Date	Building / Object	Location	Monolith	Weight (in t)
~650 BC	Dedication of Nikandre^[5]	Delos, Greek isles	Figure	~1110.25
~650 BC	Fortification wall^[5]	Leontinoi, Sicily	Wall blocks	~1111.75
~640 BC	Temple of Poseidon^[5]	Isthmus, Greek mainland	Wall blocks	~1110.5
~630 BC	Temple A^[5]	Prinias, Crete	Frieze slab	~1110.5
~610–590 BC	Sounion Kouros^[5]	Sounion, Greek mainland	Figure	111~2
~610–590 BC	Colossus of the Naxians^[5]	Delos, Greek isles	Base	~1134
~610–590 BC	Colossus of the Naxians^[5]	Delos, Greek isles	Figure	11~23
~590–580 BC	Temple of Artemis^[5]	Kerkyra, Greek isles	Pediment slab, central	~1113.25
~590–580 BC	Temple of Artemis^[5]	Kerkyra, Greek isles	Architrave block	~1115 or 6.25
~565 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Syracuse, Sicily	Stylobate block	~1124
~565 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Syracuse, Sicily	Column shaft	~1135
~565 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Syracuse, Sicily	Architrave block	~1120.25
~555 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Syracuse, Sicily	Stylobate block	~1120.25
~560–550 BC	Temple of Artemis^[5]	Ephesos, Asia Minor	Architrave block, central	~1141.25
~550–530 BC	Temple C^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Stylobate block	~1112.5
~550–530 BC	Temple C^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Architrave block	~1116
~540 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Corinth, Greek mainland	Column shaft	~1126
~540 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Corinth, Greek mainland	Architrave block	~1110
~535 BC	Temple D^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Architrave block	~1113.75
~525 BC	Temple FS^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Architrave block	~1121
~520 BC	Kouros of Apollonas^[5]	Naxos, Greek isles	Figure	11~69
~520 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Naxos, Greek isles	Lintel block	~1122
~520 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Naxos, Greek isles	Threshold	~1122.25
~520 BC	Temple at Parikia^[5]	Paros, Greek isles	Lintel block	11~22
~520–409 BC	Temple of Apollo ('GT')^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Column drum in quarry (Cave di Cusa)	~1173
~520–409 BC	Temple of Apollo ('GT')^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Architrave block	~1140
~520–409 BC	Temple of Apollo ('GT')^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Cornice block	~1112.5
~515 BC	From about that time on, cranes are assumed to have become common on Greek construction sites, leading to a sharp reduction of block sizes.^[2]
~515 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Column drum	~1119
~500–406 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Akragas, Sicily	Abacus block, central	~1111.5
~500–406 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Akragas, Sicily	Architrave block	~1119.25
~500–406 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Akragas, Sicily	Architrave block	~1111
~500–406 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Akragas, Sicily	Architrave block	~1114
~500–406 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Akragas, Sicily	Metope block, lower (angle)	~1113.5
~500–406 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Akragas, Sicily	Cornice block	~1111.5
~500 BC	Temple of Aphaia^[5]	Aigina, Greek isles	Column shaft	~1116
~480–460 BC	Temple ER^[5]	Selinunte, Sicily	Architrave block	~1117
~468–457 BC	Temple of Zeus^[5]	Olympia, Greek mainland	Stylobate block	~1118.5
~468–457 BC	Temple of Zeus^[5]	Olympia, Greek mainland	Architrave block	~1116.5
~460 BC	Temple of 'Poseidon'^[5]	Paestum, Magna Graecia	Architrave block	~1111.5
~448–437 BC	Parthenon^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Architrave block	~1119.5
~448–437 BC	Parthenon^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Lintel block, largest	~1119
~437–432 BC	Propylaia^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Architrave block, central	~1112.5
~437–432 BC	Propylaia^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Lintel block, largest	~1112.25
~437–432 BC	Propylaia^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Lintel block, relieving ^{[A 1]}	~1118.75
~437–432 BC	Propylaia^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Ceiling beam, west porch	~1110
~421–405 BC	Erechtheion^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Block over Pandroseion	~1111.5
~421–405 BC	Erechtheion^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Lintel block, north door	~1117.25
~421–405 BC	Erechtheion^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Ceiling beam, north porch	~1110
~420 BC	Temple of Segesta^[5]	Segesta, Sicily	Architrave block	~1112.5
~366–326 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Delphi, Greek mainland	Architrave block	~1119.25
~340 BC	Temple of Zeus^[5]	Nemea, Greek mainland	Architrave block	~1116.75
~340 BC	Temple of Zeus^[5]	Nemea, Greek mainland	Lintel block	~1118.75
~350 BC	First in Ionia, the weight of the lifted blocks begins to match again that of the Archaic period, indicating a mastery of the winch and compound pulley hoist by now.^[6]
~310 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Didyma, Asia Minor	Threshold	~1146.75
~310 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Didyma, Asia Minor	Lintel block^{[A 2]}	~1148
~310 BC	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Didyma, Asia Minor	Jamb^{[A 2]}	~1171.5
~170 BC	Olympieion^[5]	Athens, Greek mainland	Architrave block, largest	~1123.25

Roman monoliths

Below a selection of Roman monoliths sorted by their date; the list also includes work on Greek temples which was continued into the Roman era.

Date ^{[A 3]}	Building / Object	Location	Monolith	Weight (in t)	Comment
1st c. BC	Apollo statue^[5]	Vitr. 10.2.13^[7]	Base	~1151?
10 BC	Flaminian Obelisk^[8]	Rome, Italia	Obelisk	~1263	From Roman Egypt by obelisk ship^[8]
10 BC	Campensis Obelisk^[8]	Rome, Italia	Obelisk	~1230	From Roman Egypt by obelisk ship^[8]
37–41 AD	Vatican Obelisk^[9]	Rome, Italia	Obelisk	~1361	From Roman Egypt by obelisk ship^[8]
1st–2nd c.	Temple of Jupiter^[5]	Baalbek, Roman Lebanon	Column drum, lower	~1148.5
1st–2nd c.	Temple of Jupiter^[5]	Baalbek, Roman Lebanon	Architrave-frieze block, central	~1163	Lifted by cranes to height of 19 m^[10]
1st–2nd c.	Temple of Jupiter^[5]	Baalbek, Roman Lebanon	Cornice block, corner	~1108	Lifted by cranes to height of 19 m^[10]
1st–3rd c.	Granite column^[11]	Mons Claudianus, Roman Egypt	Column shaft in quarry	~1207
113	Trajan's Column^[12]	Rome, Italia	Pedestal	11~77
113	Trajan's Column^[13]	Rome, Italia	Base	~1155
113	Trajan's Column^[14]	Rome, Italia	Column drum, typical	11~32
113	Trajan's Column^[13]	Rome, Italia	Capital	~1153.3	Lifted by cranes to height of 34 m^[13]
2nd c.?	Temple of Apollo^[5]	Didyma, Asia Minor	Architrave block	~1120.5
297	Pompey's Pillar^[15]	Alexandria, Roman Egypt	Column shaft	~1285
306–313	Basilica Nova^[5]	Rome, Italia	Column shaft	~1103
357	Lateran Obelisk^[16]	Rome, Italia	Obelisk	~1455	From Roman Egypt by obelisk ship^[8]
530	Mausoleum of Theodoric^[17]	Ravenna, Italia	Roof slab	~1230	Constructed under Ostrogoths^{[A 4]}

Gallery

Greek monoliths

Nikandre Dedication (0.25 t)
Sounion Kouros (~2 t)
The existence of the U-shaped channels on the stone blocks (here at the Temple of Heracles) points at the use of cranes for lifting them into place.^[18]
Colossos of Apollona (~69 t)
Column drum(s) in Cave di Cusa (73 t)
Huge doric capital, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Agrigento

Roman monoliths

Flaminian Obelisk (263 t)
Campensis Obelisk (230 t)
Vatican Obelisk (330 t)
Stone of the South (~1,000 t)
Unnamed monolith (1,242 t)
Capital of Trajan's Column (53.3 t)
Shaft of Pompey's Pillar (285 t)
Lateran Obelisk (455 t)
Roof slab of Mausoleum of Theodoric (230 t)

Notes

References

Sources

Adam, Jean-Pierre (1977), "À propos du trilithon de Baalbek: Le transport et la mise en oeuvre des mégalithes", Syria, 54 (1/2): 31–63, doi:10.3406/syria.1977.6623
Coulton, J. J. (1974), "Lifting in Early Greek Architecture", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 94: 1–19, doi:10.2307/630416, JSTOR 630416, S2CID 162973494
Heidenreich, Robert; Johannes, Heinz (1971), Das Grabmal Theoderichs zu Ravenna, Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag
Jones, Mark Wilson (1993), "One Hundred Feet and a Spiral Stair: The Problem of Designing Trajan's Column", Journal of Roman Archaeology, 6: 23–38, doi:10.1017/S1047759400011454, S2CID 250348951
Lancaster, Lynne (1999), "Building Trajan's Column", American Journal of Archaeology, 103 (3): 419–439, doi:10.2307/506969, JSTOR 506969, S2CID 192986322
Maxfield, Valerie A. (2001), "Stone Quarrying in the Eastern Desert with Particular Reference to Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites", in Mattingly, David J.; Salmon, John (eds.), Economies Beyond Agriculture in the Classical World, Leicester-Nottingham Studies in Ancient Society, vol. 9, London: Routledge, pp. 143–170, ISBN 0-415-21253-7
Ruprechtsberger, Erwin M. (1999), "Vom Steinbruch zum Jupitertempel von Heliopolis/Baalbek (Libanon)", Linzer Archäologische Forschungen, 30: 7–56

External links

Traianus – Technical investigation of Roman public works

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[A 2]

[A 3]

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[A 4]

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Search

List of ancient Greek and Roman monoliths

Contents

Greek monoliths

Roman monoliths

Gallery

Greek monoliths

Roman monoliths

See also

Notes

References

Sources

Further reading

External links