Porphyry geology: Encyclopedia II - Porphyry geology - Porphyry in history

Porphyry geology - Porphyry in history

In the Roman Empire, the palace room reserved for royal births was lined with Imperial Porphyry, and the emperors born in this room were referred to as porphyrogenitus ('born in the purple'). The Romans used the Imperial porphyry for the Pantheon's inlaid panels, for the togas in the sculpted portraiture of their emperors, and for the monolithic pillars of Baalbek's Temple of Heliopolis in Lebanon. Today there are at least 134 porphyry columns in buildings around Rome, all reused from imperial times, and countless altars, basins and other objects.

The Imperial Porphyry was also popular with Byzantium. Constantine the Great celebrated the founding of his new capital, Constantinople (later Istanbul), in 330 by erecting a 30-meter (100') pillar, built of seven porphyry drums, or cylinders, that still stands. Eight monolithic columns of porphyry support Hagia Sophia's exedrae (semicircular niches).

Porphyry was used extensively for decoration in Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. This can be seen in the Mannerist style sculpted portal outside the chapel entrance in Colditz Castle.

Louis XIV King of France obtained the largest collection of porphyry by acquiring the Borghèse collection.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Porphyry in history", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki