Looking out the window as we approached the vast mountains towering over us, the quarries looked like small patches of snow. As we traveled up the windy, steep roads, the true scale of the quarries was astounding. I couldn’t believe that the Romans had come here to acquire marble, and to learn that they used simply water and wood to pry the marble apart between its natural fractures allowed me to further understand how innovative these ancient people were. It was quite rainy during our visit, and seeing water rushing down the mountain and flooding the roads made me appreciate more the hard work and dedication that goes into working in such a dangerous environment. The sheer height of the quarries was incredible and daunting, and I can’t imagine traveling or working with the marble without the commodities of modern day. I have a deeper appreciation for the time and effort that Renaissance artists and architects invested in creating their magnificent works, even more so when I consider the harsh manual labor of those who provided them with the physical medium of marble. I was also able to reflect on how the marble material is finite despite the vast beauty and complexity it can create, and how important it is to maintain the balance between nature’s resources and our artistic ambitions.
Swanson School of Engineering 