JO THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



thirty-five miles from Leghorn, which bore many evidences of having 

 been worked in ancient times. It closely resembles the Pai-ian in 

 color and grain, works smoothly, and takes a high polish. 



White marbles Avere also obtained by the ancients from Mount 

 Phelleus, Rhamnus, and Snninm, in Attica; Demetrias, in Thessaly; 

 on the river Sangarius, in Phrygia ; from near Alexandria Troas; 

 from Mount Prion, near Ephesus; from Cappadocia, and from Mount 

 Libanus, the modern Lebanon. 



The marbles of Phelleus, Rhamnus, and Suniuin, were of good col- 

 or, but were coarse, and less homogeneous than the Pentelic. The 

 Sangarian marble was sometimes called Coralitic. The Cappado- 

 cian was called Phengites ($eyyof), on account of its translucence. 

 The temple of Fortuna Seia, built by Nero within the precincts of his 

 Golden House, was built of this stone ; and, although it had no win- 

 dows, it is said to have been perfectly light when the door was closed. 

 The marble of Mount Libanus, usually called Tyrian, was probably 

 the material of Solomon's Temple and of Herod's palace. The Scala 

 Santa in the Lateran Palace, Rome, said to have been brought from Pi- 

 late's house in Jerusalem, is of this marble, which is a clear blue-white. 



The Proconnesian marble, a pure white with black veins, was quar- 

 ried in the island of Proconnesus, in the Propontis, The celebrity of 

 this stone has changed the name of the island to Marmora, and also 

 given its modern name (Sea of Marmora) to the Propontis. This 

 marble was also called Cyzican, because it was largely used in tlie 

 city of Cyzicus, opposite the island in Mysia, The palace of Mauso- 

 lus, at Halicarnassus, was built of it. It was also much used at Con- 

 stantinople, under Honorius and the younger Theodosius. Several 

 columns of it in the mosque of St. Sophia were spoils of the temple of 

 Cybele at Cyzicus. 



A white marble, with yellow spots, was brought from Cappadocia, 

 and a similar marble from Rhodes, but the spots wei*e of a brighter, 

 more golden, yellow. White marble, with black spots, was quarried 

 in the Troad. 



But the most beautiful of the antique variegated marbles, with a 

 white base, was the Synnadic, Docimasan, or Docimite, sometimes 

 called marmor Phrygium. It was quarried at the village of Docimia, 

 not far from Synnada, in Phrygia Major. The ancient authorities 

 generally describe it as pure white, marked with red or purple veins, 

 which the poets compared to the blood of Atys, slain at Synnada; 

 but Hamilton, who visited the quarries about 1835, says that they 

 yield several different kinds. He mentions white, bluish-white, white 

 with yellow veins, white with blue veins, and white with blue spots, 

 the latter having almost a brecciated appearance. He describes the 

 principal quarry as worked horizontally into the hill, the sides of 

 which are cut away perpendicularly to a great height to secure the 

 splendid columns for which it was famous. Strabo says that pillars 



