»Marble Artefacts of Obscure Function« and the Problem of Their Identification

Abstract

The ten rectangular marble slabs originating from Athens and Eleusis form a distinct and self-contained group of monuments which it has not been possible to identify thus far. This study undertakes a systematic investigation based on a detailed cataloguing, and proposes an interpretation and dating of the marble slabs. The relief depictions, particularly of oil presses, and the chiselling of a margin indicate that the slabs served as covers for θησαυροί in which sums of money were kept that were undoubtedly connected with the production and sale of olive oil. The slabs can be dated to Late Hellenism and the early Imperial era; they were evidently linked to the wide-scale adoption of elements of Roman economic management which may be observed in various spheres at this time.