Ancient Quarry in Petrokopio

The ancient quarry at Petrokopio is one of the most important monuments in Fourni’s history and reveals the island’s role in marble production and trade from the Archaic through the Roman era. Impressive semi-worked architectural members survive in the area, such as column drums nearly two meters in diameter, as well as a monumental Ionic capital, attesting to the extent and quality of quarrying. The quarry’s position near the sea allowed easy loading and transport of marble to the great centers of Ionia, likely for use in major works such as the Heraion of Samos or the Temple of Apollo at Didyma. Traces of ancient extraction, heaps of debris, and abandoned semi-finished pieces offer today’s visitor a vivid picture of past industrial activity and highlight Fourni’s importance as a center of marble extraction and processing in antiquity.