The ancient world’s greatest sculptures — the Hermes of Praxiteles, the Aphrodite of Milos, and the Nike of Samothrace — were all brought to life from the famous marble of Paros. But what became of the legendary quarries that supplied this extraordinary material?
The Glory of Parian Marble
From the Hermes of Praxiteles and the Aphrodite of Milos to the Nike of Samothrace, the Nike of Paionios in Olympia, the sculptures of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus — all these masterpieces were carved from Parian marble, especially the coveted "lychnites," extracted from the Nymphs’ gallery.
Known in antiquity as the Parian Stone, this marble was considered the finest in the ancient world. It was quarried from the rich deposits on Mount Agioi Pantes, historically known as Mount Marpessa.
Paros’s marble quarries began operating as early as the 7th century BC. The lychnites variety, characterized by its pure white color and exceptional clarity, quickly became the material of choice for sculptors and architects alike. Its luminous quality made it particularly prized for statuary, drawing the attention of master artists and elite patrons across the Mediterranean.
Why "Lychnites"?
The term "lychnites" derives from the Greek word for oil lamp (lychnos), because this prized marble was mined underground by lamplight. Its subtle translucence allows light to penetrate up to 35 millimeters deep — a brilliance surpassing even the famed Carrara marble of Italy.
By the 6th century BC, Parian marble had become the premier medium for artistic expression, rivaling and eventually outshining the marble of Naxos. Throughout the classical and later periods, it maintained its dominance in the world of sculpture and architecture.
Parian Marble’s Masterpieces
Early masterpieces such as the Marble Gorgon of the late 6th century BC — a creation of an anonymous Parian artist — demonstrate the island’s early leadership in sculpture.
Paros soon became a major artistic center, establishing a renowned school of sculpture. Its high-quality marble and flourishing workshops fueled a creative boom that brought both wealth and prestige to the island. Exports of Parian marble enriched major sanctuaries across the ancient world, from nearby Delos to Delphi, Olympia, the Acropolis of Athens, and far beyond — reaching even Magna Graecia (southern Italy) and as far as Libya in North Africa.
Many of history’s greatest sculptors chose Parian marble for their finest works. Among them:
The Charioteer of Motya in Sicily, a stunning work in lychnites marble by an unknown Parian sculptor.
Paionios’s Nike.
Praxiteles’s Hermes at Olympia and his famous Aphrodite of Knidos.
The Artemis of Brauron at the Athenian Acropolis.
The Eros of Parion.
Skopas's Maenad in Sikyon.
The seated Hestia at her sanctuary on Paros.
Leochares’s Demeter at Knidos.
Even in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Parian marble remained the gold standard. The iconic Nike of Samothrace and the Aphrodite of Milos — both displayed in the Louvre — and the renowned Augustus of Prima Porta are all carved from the island’s luminous lychnites.
Paros's fame as the "most illustrious city of the Parians" was built on the brilliance of its marble and the achievements of its artists, such as Aristeion, Agorakritos, Skopas, and Thrasymedes, who helped pioneer the island’s vibrant artistic, cultural, and economic life.
The Quarries of the Choridaki Valley
Today, experts classify Parian marble into three types:
Paros-1 (lychnites): The finest marble, renowned for its clarity and translucence, quarried mainly underground at the Nymphs’ and Pan’s galleries in Marathi.
Paros-2 and Paros-3: Mined from open quarries at Lakkoi and other sites in the Choridaki Valley, these varieties are still pure white or bluish-gray but slightly coarser than lychnites.
The open-air quarries were actually the earliest to be exploited (7th–6th century BC) and produced greater quantities of marble, especially for architectural uses. Sites like Lakkoi and Thapsana provided essential materials for buildings across the Greek world.
The underground galleries in the Choridaki Valley reveal vast cavities hewn directly into the rock, with tunnels and extraction marks still visible today — silent witnesses to centuries of marble mining.
The Legacy of the Nymphs’ Gallery
The Nymphs’ quarry is particularly famous for its votive relief from the mid-4th century BC, located at the entrance and linked to the island's artistic identity. This relief captivated travelers in the 19th century, as shown by sketches from 1868 and 1882. A missing portion of the relief — once believed lost — was later discovered embedded in the stairway of the Monastery of Agios Minas.
While the Nymphs’ quarry has limited access today due to safety concerns, the nearby Pan’s quarry was once more accessible. Its walls and ceilings bear hundreds of inscriptions from 18th- and 19th-century travelers — a lasting record of its allure through the ages.
A Protected Historic Site
Both the Nymphs’ and Pan’s underground quarries are remarkably well-preserved. Once open to visitors in an unofficial capacity, they have since been fenced off for safety following concerns about the stability of the rock.
The ancient quarries have been officially designated an archaeological site since 1974. In 2018, the western area — encompassing the 19th-century marble quarries and their installations — was declared a "historic site."
In early 2025, the ancient underground quarries at Marathi were incorporated into the South Aegean Regional Operational Program (2021–2027) under the project "Remote Monuments of the Cyclades – Digital Documentation and Promotion." This initiative, led by the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the Ephorate of Paleoanthropology and Speleology, aims to digitally preserve and showcase these treasures for future generations.
