E. Romanò and F. Susini, L’alabastro di Volterra: caratteristiche geologiche, usi antropici e luoghi di estrazione (original) (raw)

Volterra’s alabaster: geological features, anthropic uses and places of extraction. The main extraction areas of Volterra’s alabaster are located in central-northern Tuscany, between the current provinces of Pisa and Livorno. Several varieties of alabaster are reported: ‘Agata bionda’, ‘Bardiglio’, ‘Cenerino’, ‘Gabbro ‘and, above all, the’ Scaglione ‘, the quality with the highest purity and transparency among them. Aspects such as abundance in the territory, extraction methods, ease of processing and, of course, aesthetic factors have made such a material a valid mean for various artisanal and artistic productions since ancient times. Our study intends to analyze the specific geological characteristics of Volterra’s alabaster, identifying the extractive areas with their corresponding typological varieties and the different anthropic uses.