Goddess at an altar offering a libation, interior scene from a kylix / 470 BCE (Classical Greece)
The ancients often made bees and honey into symbols related to the deities. Honey was considered heavenly since it never expired, and was a typical offering placed on altars for the gods. These offerings were given to rustic deities such as Pan and Priape, who were protectors of beekeepers, but also to Chthonian deities worshiped in mystery cults such as Hermes, Dionysos, and Demeter. Honey and bees were also a symbol of resurrection.
Honey was considered a gift—a remnant of the Golden Age—that the gods kindly gave to men. It guaranteed long life and good health. In this way, it was connected to nectar and ambrosia—drinks of the immortal gods. In childhood, Zeus was nourished with honey and milk. Mead was seen as a substitute for these divine drinks. Honey's religious symbolism was all the more important since it could be food for newborns—a young Plato was said to be fed with honey—but also for the dead.
Kantharos with lid, from the obverse type of a stater of Naxos / 520-490 BCE (Archaic Greece)
Naxos was the largest island in the Kyklades. lts protective deity was Dionysos, god of wine, who was born on the island according to mythology. The money of Naxos served as model for the banner, and is linked with the god as the coins show a kantharos—a wine cup.
Naxos produced wine, but was more famous for its marble. It was exported and widely used. For example, it was used in Olympia and on the Akropolis in Athens. Its craftsmen were pioneers in the development of monumental marble sculptures and architecture.
Marble quarry of Aliki on the island of Thasos / 2016
Greek soil contains great geological diversity. Since the beginning of the Early Cycladic period, the Greeks used marble in architecture, sculpture, figurines, and more. The word marble, from the Greek term marmaros, means "resplendent stone". It quickly became a luxury furniture in Greek cities, and it played a big part in the Greek economy. Some regions stand out for their marble-related wealth, including Naxos, Paros, Thasos, Attika, the Peloponnese, and Euboea Island.
Marble is made up of different colors (red, pink, yellow), and each has a different texture (translucent, wavy, streaked, swirly, etc.). For example, Peloponnesian marble was red with touches of black. Pentelic marble, found near Athens, was greenish with a grainy pattern. The most prestigious marble of the time came from Paros, and was greyish white.
Traces of extraction left by the tools in the marble quarry of Aliki (Thasos) / 2016
In Naxos, ancient quarries were located on the Agios loannis hill on the north side of the island, with another one in the central region, Melanes.
In general, the quarrymen exploited natural fissures and applied pressure to extract massive blocks. They then drilled holes into the marble, drove wooden shafts into the holes, and poured water over the wood so it swelled and split off the desired blocks of stone.
In Naxos, whiter parts of the stone were preferred during the quarrying process, which had a direct impact on the price of this marble. Around 5000 m3 of the most prestigious Naxian marble was exported annually.
The workers carried the marble with cranes and rails. They moved it around with pullies, cranes, levers, rails, and inclined planes.
