Parian marble is a fine-grained semitranslucent white marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. It was highly prized by the ancient Greeks for making sculptures. Some of the greatest masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture were carved from Parian marble, including the Venus de Medici and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.

The original quarries, which were used from the 6th century BC onwards, can still be seen on the north side of the island on the slopes of its central peak.

References

• The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology, Timothy Darvill (2002)