By Sid Perkins
Scientific detectives use atomic isotopes for more than tracking down the sources of drugs (see “Chemistry Catches Cocaine at Source” in this week’s issue: Chemistry Catches Cocaine at Source). With a new database of isotopic ratios measured in samples of Greek marble, researchers can identify the quarries that supplied the stone for some of Europe’s most famous statues and architecture.
More than 150 quarries dot the southern slopes of Greece’s Mount Pentelikon, which lies about 18 kilometers northeast of Athens. These sites have been a primary source of white marble for the eastern Mediterranean region for the past 2,500 years.