The study of marble trade in antiquity has received a lot of scholarly attention in the last few decades; however, numerous deposits of high-quality white marble in the Thracian interior have only recently become pivotal in Bulgaria. Following the establishment of Thrace as a Roman province, investments into transport infrastructure, urban and rural construction works and monumentalizing architecture in marble have led to an increased demand for stone. Local marble quarries close to urban centres and larger imperial quarries were used for civic buildings, villas and sanctuaries. Provenance analysis of marble quarries and artefacts has established a close link between the place of origin and subsequent place of use. This multi-disciplinary study explores marble sources in the Thracian interior via various approaches such as epigraphy, archaeology, and archaeometry regarding urbanization, trade, and transportation. In this paper, we consider and investigate the Berkovitsa marble, a quarry close to Montana in northwestern Bulgaria, and present a broader framework for the marble trade of the region.

In contrast to several types of marbles used in antiquity, where different data collections do exist, similar approaches for provenance analysis are not available for limestones. In general, limestones are characterised visually and by the examination of sedimentological parameters. The usual microscopic investigation of limestones and the characterisation of limestone artefacts are often impossible because of the large samples necessary for these investigations. It is demonstrated in this paper that for the provenance analysis of limestone, the same established methods used for assigning marbles to their origin can also be successfully used in the case of limestone. We investigated a series of Roman quarries (three different quarry regions) in the north of the Haemus Mountain Range in the region of Marcianopolis and Nicopolis ad Istrum with the aim of establishing a first database (isotope analyses and trace element analyses) to correlate limestone artefacts. All in all, 42 quarry samples from the locations Marciana, Samovodene and Koevtsi were investigated. Fifteen artefacts made of limestone were analysed. Two samples from Marcianopolis were assigned to the Marciana quarry, and seven artefacts from Nicopolis ad Istrum originate from the quarries of Samovodene. For six more samples from Nicopolis ad Istrum, no match to one of the sampled and investigated quarries was found; thus, the existence of one or more quarries in the area is presumed. An extension of the database and the investigation of further limestone quarries in the area certainly will compensate for this deficiency.

Marble votive reliefs from rural sanctuary contexts have seldom undergone archaeometric investigation, despite their potential to illuminate regional trade and production networks. This study focuses on such reliefs from Philippopolis and its hinterland, with particular emphasis on cult sites in Roman Thrace. Using a stable isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) and trace element analysis via ICP-MS, integrated with petrography, the provenance of marble used in these artefacts was determined. The results identify Asenovgrad marble—prevalent in the Rhodope Mountains—as the primary material, with a minority of examples sourced from Prokonnesos and the southeastern Rhodopes. The predominantly fine-to-medium-grained nature of Asenovgrad marble may have facilitated the execution of small, detailed iconography. The consistent use of this local stone across votive types and deities implies centralised production, likely by one or more local workshops. These findings contribute to our understanding of marble selection, workshop localisation, and regional connectivity during the Roman period. They also highlight the importance of combining geochemical and petrographic methods for reliable marble provenance. This research demonstrates that even modest sanctuaries can yield critical data on raw material distribution and artisanal practices within broader economic and cultural frameworks.

This study explores the provenance of white marble architectural elements from Roman Philippopolis, with a particular focus on the Eastern Gate complex. By determining the origin of the marble, we aim to elucidate economic, social, and urban dynamics related to material selection and trade networks. The investigation examines the symbolic significance of prestigious marble in elite representation and highlights the role of quarry exploitation in the region’s economic and technological development. The Eastern Gate, a monumental ensemble integrated into the city’s urban fabric, was primarily constructed with local Rhodope marble, alongside imported materials such as Prokonnesian marble. Analytical methods included petrographic examination, chemical analysis of trace elements (Mn, Mg, Fe, Sr, Y, V, Cd, La, Ce, Yb, and U), and stable isotope analysis (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C). Statistical evaluations were performed for each sample (37 in total) and compared with a comprehensive database of ancient quarry sources. The results underscore the dominance of local materials while also indicating selective use of imports, potentially linked to symbolic or functional criteria. The findings support the hypothesis of local workshop activity in the Asenovgrad/Philippopolis area and shed light on regional and long-distance marble trade during the Roman Imperial period, reflecting broader economic and cultural interconnections.

This study presents the results of an archaeometric investigation of white marble votive reliefs from the Roman city of Pautalia (modern Kyustendil, Bulgaria), with the aim of clarifying patterns of material selection, production, and connectivity within the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Although these votive monuments, primarily dated to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, have long been examined from stylistic, iconographic, and epigraphic perspectives, the provenance of the marble used in their manufacture has remained largely unexplored. A total of 27 votive reliefs from urban and extra-urban sanctuary contexts were analysed using a multi-method approach combining petrographic analysis, stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O), and trace element analysis by ICP-MS, and compared against an extensive geological reference database of ancient marble quarries. The results indicate a clear predominance of local and regional marble sources, alongside a limited but meaningful presence of imported material. This distribution pattern supports the existence of local workshops operating in or near Pautalia, which relied primarily on nearby quarry sources while selectively incorporating imported marble, likely through the reuse of pre-existing blocks or workshop offcuts rather than through systematic long-distance supply. These findings underscore Pautalia’s role as a regional production centre and as a nodal point within wider networks connecting the Aegean world and the Balkan hinterland.