A total of 13 thresholds composed of one or more blocks of alabaster (calcitic onyx alabaster) survive in situ at Villa A at Oplontis. They decorate the elegantly Second-Style painted rooms, such as atrium (5), triclinium (14), salone (15) and cubiculum (11), as well as (surprisingly) some service areas. The thresholds, which belong to Villa […]

The growing popularity of calcite alabaster led to the exploitation of alabaster sources around the Mediterranean from the early imperial period: onyx and banded types from Egypt, fiorito from Asia Minor (Turkey), pecorella from North Africa (Algeria and Tunisia) and other rare Italian (Latium and Tuscany) varieties. Moreover, the increasing favour met by alabaster was […]

From the Augustan period vase-shaped urns carved from calcitic alabaster and other coloured stone came into use in wealthy Roman burials across the Western Empire. The “tureen” is the predominant “standardised” type as reflected by the current survival rate of over 63 examples. Stylistic analysis reveals the existence of a basic model with idiosyncratic features: […]