ABSTRACT
Luxuria in marmoribus is Pliny's first reference in Book 36, the main theme of which is that of stones, 490 marble first and foremost. Marble had the greatest impact on the cityscape as the primary material in both architecture and in sculpture. Pliny was especially fascinated by the great transports of marble on land and on waterways, and the sight of the dragging of marble to the construction sites so captivated him that he takes great pains to recall the picture to his reader who must have been equally familiar with the phenomenon.
