Antique column shafts from various sources

Corsican columns on the mainland: a first!

Granite column shafts are an emblematic feature of the monuments of ancient Rome, and have been reused in every era from Paleochristian baptisteries to a work by the sculptor Caesar. Nearly two hundred examples have been identified at four main sites: Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Die and Riez, each with a minimum of twenty-two barrels. The consortium was able to identify the source quarries of these granites thanks to non-destructive magnetic and chemical measurements. Carried out directly on site, they reveal that three quarters of the casks come from Turkey and one fifth from the island of Elba. The rest came from Egypt, Sardinia and Corsica (Bouches de Bonifacio). This is the first time that column shafts of Corsican origin have been identified on the mainland.

Gaul and the Mediterranean remain to be explored

These origins, more or less diverse depending on the site, shed light on the choices made by builders in terms of sourcing throughout the Mediterranean, but also on medieval reuse, which may involve "pillaging" certain sites and transporting them over long distances. Further research is required in the rest of Gaul and in other regions of the western Mediterranean, in order to further characterize the origin of column shafts and gain a better understanding of their supply networks in antiquity, as well as the effect of reuse on their distribution.