Meter reliefs from Ephesos and the Obizzi Collection (KHM Wien). Archaeometric considerations on the production and trade of small-format marble objects in the Greek world

Abstract

The Sanctuary of Meter, on the north slope of the Panayırdağ in Ephesos, Asia Minor, has revealed a rather large number of Meter reliefs which were originally placed in small niches cut into the marble/limestone bedrock of the Panayırdağ hill. The objects date from the Late Classical to the Early Hellenistic period (i.e. 4th-3th cent. BC). The marble provenance analysis of a group of these reliefs, now located in the Museum of Selçuk in Turkey, proves that the marble originates from different Ephesian quarries. Using various methods including stable isotope analysis (C13 and O18), and multi-trace element analysis by ICP-MS, in combination with petrography, identifies the provenance of these votive plates, and the workshop for their production in Ephesos. A further investigation of the Meter Relief I 1108 from the Art History Museum in Vienna [Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna (KHM)] showed that this material also originates from the Ephesos II group quarries, linking this object to the Ephesian workshop/production area. Furthermore, recent investigations on Meter reliefs from different regions, now in the Art History Museum in Vienna, showed the use of Dokimeion marble already in the Hellenistic era.