The quarrying of marble on Thassos Island is an ancient art and its history has been recorded from at least the 7th century BC where the records show that the Parians established a sculpting school here. There is clear evidence of these ancient quarries around the whole island, most of which merge with 20th century operations that have aided the techniques passed through the generations. Over the centuries, Thassos White marble has been used all over Greece and Asia, usually in the construction and decoration of temples and other important civic structures. It is said that the Romans also utilised Thassos marble and transported it all over their empire, and during the Byzantine era it was used extensively throughout the continent including the construction of parts of the famous Agia Sofia Basilica located in modern day Istanbul. In more recent years, 30% of its total production has been destined for export to Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Italy and Spain. However, in the past decade the local quarries have slowed down their production as the economic downturn of the Greece has effected the industry in such a way that many of the villages that rely on the marble industry have become unusually quiet and void of their usual activity. Quarries and ports that would usually be hauling huge blocks of white rock across the roads are more often than not closed as if someone has paused the entire operation. International companies from within the EU that once took advantage of the islands marble have in some cases pulled out, and only the big name companies that specialise in the rarest, highest quality marble found here have managed to maintain production with back orders being fulfilled to high paying customers around the world. The fact is that whilst Greece tries to hold on to its economic future, large operations such as this have been sacrificed as companies have wavered in the unstable market, and smaller operations such as honey and olive grove farming have seen a rise due to their low cost production. There is still decades worth of arguably the best quality marble in the world left here, so surely these places will at some point come back to life again.
