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The first all-marble building was the Temple of Jupiter Stator in
Rome (146 BCE), but it was not until the Empire that the use of marble
became more widespread and the stone of choice for the most impressive

state-funded building projects. The most commonly used from Italy was
Carrara (Luna) marble from Tuscany (see, for example, the 30 BCE Tem-
ple of Apollo on the Palatine). Marble was also readily available from
across the empire; especially esteemed were the Parian marble of Paros in

the Cyclades and Pentelic from Athens. Coloured varieties were also
much favoured by Roman architects, for example, yellow Numidian mar-
ble from North Africa, purple Phyrgian from central Turkey, red por-

phyry from Egypt, and green-veined Carystian marble from Euboea. For-
eign marble was, though, mainly reserved for use in columns and, due to
the costs of transportation, imperial projects.

Besides marble, travertine white limestone was also made available
from quarries near Tivoli, and its favorability towards precise carving and
inherent load-bearing strength made it a favorite substitute for marble

amongst Roman architects from the 1st century BCE. It was especially
used for paving, door and window frames, and steps.
The Romans did not invent lime mortar but they were the first to see
the full possibilities of using it to produce concrete. Concrete rubble had

usually been reserved for use as a filler material but Roman architects real-
ized that the material could support great weight and could, therefore, with
a little imagination, be used to help span space and create a whole new set

of building opportunities. They called this material opus caementi-
cium from the stone aggregate (caementa) which was mixed with the lime
mortar. The material had a thick consistency when prepared and so was

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