The Extraction and Use of Limestone in Istria in Antiquity

Due to the presence of abundant and thick outcrops, several types of limestone were the main natural building materials until the emergence of modern technologies, and the quarrying of limestone was an important activity in Prehistory, Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The prehistoric population used stone blocks for building the drywall ramparts of the fortifications on hilltops. The Roman conquest in the 2nd century B.C., and particularly the establishment of the colonies in the mid-1st century B.C. prompted the introduction of new technologies of quarrying. Istrian limestone quickly established itself as an important building material and was transported by sea to centres along the north Adriatic coast. The stone blocks came from quarries along the coast, and could thus be transported by sea. Most of them bear traces of use in the Middle Ages, when historical sources confirm that Istrian limestone was extensively used in Venice and north Italian towns