{"id":6524,"date":"2026-01-13T14:02:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/educational-panels-and-maps\/the-marbles\/i-marmi-piazzola-12-alabastro-cotognino-egiziano-lapis-onyx\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T15:11:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:11:47","slug":"the-marbles-area-12","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/educational-panels-and-maps\/the-marbles\/the-marbles-area-12\/","title":{"rendered":"The Marbles &#8211; Area 12"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Egyptian onyx, one of the most prized alabasters of antiquity, was used from a very early period both for furnishings and as an architectural decoration for various types of buildings, in particular luxurious residences.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery-article galleryid-6524 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t<a data-fslightbox='gallery' data-caption='Sample of Egyptian alabaster from the Podesti Collection\n(Pensabene P., Bruno M. 1998)' href='https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113.webp' data-title='Sample of Egyptian alabaster from the Podesti Collection\n(Pensabene P., Bruno M. 1998)'><div class='ratio ratio-1x1'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1913\" height=\"1217\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-6350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113.webp 1913w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113-300x191.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113-1024x651.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113-768x489.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001190_107-2-img002113-1536x977.webp 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1913px) 100vw, 1913px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-6350'>\n\t\t\tSample of Egyptian alabaster from the Podesti Collection\n(Pensabene P., Bruno M. 1998)\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t<a data-fslightbox='gallery' data-caption='Sample of Egyptian alabaster from the Podesti Collection\n(Pensabene P., Bruno M. 1998)' href='https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112.webp' data-title='Sample of Egyptian alabaster from the Podesti Collection\n(Pensabene P., Bruno M. 1998)'><div class='ratio ratio-1x1'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1919\" height=\"1221\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-6352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112.webp 1919w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112-300x191.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112-1024x652.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112-768x489.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001189_107-1-img002112-1536x977.webp 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-6352'>\n\t\t\tSample of Egyptian alabaster from the Podesti Collection\n(Pensabene P., Bruno M. 1998)\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lucan provides a vivid description of the sumptuous palace of Cleopatra, in whose floors onyx was used in abundance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6353\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6353\" style=\"width: 2500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-dominant-color=\"8d7557\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #8d7557;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6353 size-full not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114.webp 2500w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114-300x127.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114-1024x432.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114-768x324.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114-1536x648.webp 1536w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114-2048x864.webp 2048w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001191_107-3-img002114-1920x810.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6353\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rome, Antiquarium of Via Lucrezia Romana. Basin in Egyptian alabaster from the suburban area of Rome (Bruno M. 2018)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Egyptian alabaster is often depicted in Roman wall paintings, as in the\u00a0<em>Casa dei Grifi<\/em>\u00a0on the Palatine, showing that it was used for revetment panels; the quarried blocks on display here must have been destined for the production of such panels.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery-article galleryid-6524 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t<a data-fslightbox='gallery' data-caption='Tivoli, Hadrian\u2019s Villa. Floor in Egyptian alabaster from a bedroom in the Valle di Tempe sector\n(Guidobaldi 1994)' href='https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116.webp' data-title='Tivoli, Hadrian\u2019s Villa. Floor in Egyptian alabaster from a bedroom in the Valle di Tempe sector\n(Guidobaldi 1994)'><div class='ratio ratio-1x1'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1588\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-6356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116.webp 2000w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116-300x238.webp 300w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116-1024x813.webp 1024w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116-768x610.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116-1536x1220.webp 1536w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001193_107-5-img002116-1920x1524.webp 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-6356'>\n\t\t\tTivoli, Hadrian\u2019s Villa. Floor in Egyptian alabaster from a bedroom in the Valle di Tempe sector\n(Guidobaldi 1994)\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t<a data-fslightbox='gallery' data-caption='Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano. Cinerary urn in Egyptian alabaster from Torre Gaia\n(Bruno M. 2015)' href='https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115.webp' data-title='Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano. Cinerary urn in Egyptian alabaster from Torre Gaia\n(Bruno M. 2015)'><div class='ratio ratio-1x1'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1042\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-6358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115.webp 1042w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115-156x300.webp 156w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115-534x1024.webp 534w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115-768x1474.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/001192_107-4-img002115-800x1536.webp 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1042px) 100vw, 1042px\" \/><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-6358'>\n\t\t\tRome, Museo Nazionale Romano. Cinerary urn in Egyptian alabaster from Torre Gaia\n(Bruno M. 2015)\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Egyptian onyx, one of the most prized alabasters of antiquity, was used from a very early period both for furnishings and as an architectural decoration for various types of buildings, in particular luxurious residences. &nbsp; &nbsp; Lucan provides a vivid description of the sumptuous palace of Cleopatra, in whose floors onyx was used in abundance&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":6517,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/page-albero.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6524","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6524"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6533,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6524\/revisions\/6533"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ostiaantica.cultura.gov.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}