Imperial Black porphyry - Roman fragment, partially polished

Imperial Black porphyry
Roman fragment, partially polished
Gebel Dokhan (Mons Porphyrites) - Egypt
16 x 29 x 13 cm

Porfido Nero is a rare Black Variety of Imperial Porphyry from Gebel Dokhan (the Ancient Mons Porphyrites) in the Eastern desert of Egypt. I dates back approximately 630 million years, resulting from dacitic-andesitic volcanic activity that led to the formation of extensive layers of effusive material, including tuffs and ignimbrites
The background is a uniform black, dotted with opaque crystalline white inclusions. Despite its breathtaking beauty, this material is notoriously difficult to work with due to its hardness. The quarries, located in the stark isolation of the Eastern Egyptian Desert, were situated along caravan routes that connected the commercial hubs of the Nile Valley and Coptos with the ports of Myos Hormos and Berenice, facilitating trade towards India and Arabia.

The Imperial quarries were worked from at least the 1st century through to the 5th century AD, using a workforce of slaves. In antiquity, these quarries were of such significance that they were managed directly by the imperial entourage.

Lo Gnoli cites a few examples of Black Porphyry in the crustae of the floor of the Coenatio of the Domus Flavia, two columns in the Vatican Museums, and a wheel in the floor of the Salerno Cathedral, where there are also two small columns made of a black porphyry. The extraction, preparation, and transportation of this stone to Rome enhanced the city's architectural splendor and satisfied the tastes of affluent patrons.
Among all ancient materials, porphyry perhaps exudes the most symbolism; it represents a symbolic essence, epitomizing divinity, power, and courage. Its hardness made it challenging to work with yet it remains the most significant and expensive stone, symbolizing divine power and representing nobility, prestige, and wealth.

The ancient querries were rediscovered in 1823 and their location was described by the quarry hunter William Brindley (1887). They were never reopened on a commercial scale, so virtually every exemple of this stone seen around the world was quarried in Ancient Roman times.
Today, collectors particularly value specimens of colored marble quarried in antiquity, cherishing them as tangible links to the past.