Posts Tagged ‘Limestone’

History of Natural Stone Applications

Monday, January 19th, 2009

The history of natural stone applications dates back to sometime around 5000 years ago. In fact the time span is so long that it is not at all easy to comprehend standing at the edge of twentieth century. Ancient men used natural stone as their weapons and later on, after being civilized they learnt other usages of stones. There are quite a number of monuments, pillars, ancient statues and temples which were made of natural stones and all of them are standing boldly without a trace of fracture or crack. The designs carved on these stone statues might have faded away with the natural decaying process executed by the air, water, rain etc but the strength of the stature is retained perfectly. It shows that the natural stones are the most durable elements and ancient people knew it very well.

In Egypt, you get to see the world famous Pyramids which are all made of natural sand stones available in plenty in the country. In fact the historians believe that Egyptian civilization was the first to prepare stone architecture. Granites and lime stones are widely used in their structures. The “Great Pyramid of Cheops” was constructed in 2560 BC and is still alive with all its grace and beauty. Huge stone blocks were used to prepare these large structures. The outer portion of the pyramids use the yellowish lime stones wherein the interior features usage of granites. The blocks are fitted so perfectly that not a ray of light can enter inside the pyramids.

Though Egyptians are considered the pioneers in application and carving the natural stones, the Greeks were no less than them. They created many aesthetically pleasant stone statues and temples in their territory. But Greek sculpture mainly features marble stones which were polished to show ultimate off grandeur. “Temple of Artemis”, Statue of Zeus is few of the best stone works by the Greek architects. The comparatively newer Greek monuments include Theseum, Parthenon and many more. They still make the visitors spellbound with the natural shine and beauty. IN fact they lead the way of using stones at home. In ancient Greek household they started making pools, small statues etc with marbles.

The Roman stone work features the usage of both marbles and granites. In fact the strength, endurance and durability of the granite stones inspired them to use it for building roads. The columns of the houses and constructions, walls of public baths were all made from granites. But they adored marble stones for its beauty and splendor. They invented the technique of covering brick buildings with marble stones and this is in practice till date. The Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is carved from milky white marble stone. The Chinese wall is also made from natural stone. Till date the natural stones are used to decorate the rooms of regular household and hold preference over synthetic stones.  For understanding  on natural stone and synthetic stone, click here.

It shows that the popularity of natural stones like will remain unaltered always not only because they are durable but also for their pleasant appearance. Get the best quality marble, granite and limestone in the  Bay Area California at Marble City Company