MARBLES FROM THE HERCULEAN BATHS IN MILAN

The monumental baths of Mediolanum (Milano), were built in the late 3rd century-early 4th century ce, then they were rapidly dismantled and forgotten. Diferent excavations works, led from the early 18th to 1988, unearthed architectural and decorative elements, pavements, mosaics, etc. The study points out the confguration of the bathing complex, the chronology of the fndings, the use of stone materials, the identifcation of about 800 fragments made of more than 20 diferent coloured and white marbles, limestones etc. The marbles mainly came from the eastern Mediterranean basin, with the frst evidence of granito verde della sedia in Roman sites of Lombardy; the classifcation of the marbles according to the application (pavement, moulding, architectural decoration, column, pilaster, wall veneering). Finally, a distinct description of granitic (plutonic) rocks used as building material is reported.