List of ancient Greek and Roman monoliths

This is a list of ancient monoliths found in all types of Greek and Roman buildings.

It contains monoliths

• quarried, but not moved
• quarried and moved
• quarried, moved and lifted clear off the ground into their position (architraves etc.)
• quarried, moved and erected in an upright position (columns etc.)

Transporting was done by land or water (or a combination of both), in the later case often by special-built ships such as obelisk carriers. For lifting operations, ancient cranes were employed since ca. 515 BC, such as in the construction of Trajan's Column.

It should be stressed that all numbers are estimations since only in the rarest cases have monoliths been actually weighed. Rather, weight is calculated by multiplying volume by density. The main source, J. J. Coulton, assumes 2.75 t/m³ for marble and 2.25 t/m³ for other stone. For an explanation of the large margin of error, which often leads to widely differing numbers, see these introductory remarks.

Below a selection of Greek monoliths sorted by their date.

Below a selection of Roman monoliths sorted by their date; the list also includes work on Greek temples which was continued into the Roman era.

• 
  Nikandre Dedication (0.25 t)
• 
  Sounion Kouros (~2 t)
• 
  The existence of the U-shaped channels on the stone blocks (here at the Temple of Heracles) points at the use of cranes for lifting them into place.
• 
  Colossos of Apollona (~69 t)
• 
  Column drum(s) in Cave di Cusa (73 t)
• 
  Huge doric capital, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Agrigento

• 
  Flaminian Obelisk (263 t)
• 
  Campensis Obelisk (230 t)
• 
  Vatican Obelisk (330 t)
• 
  Stone of the South (~1,000 t)
• 
  Unnamed monolith (1,242 t)
• 
  Capital of Trajan's Column (53.3 t)
• 
  Shaft of Pompey's Pillar (285 t)
• 
  Lateran Obelisk (455 t)
• 
  Roof slab of Mausoleum of Theodoric (230 t)

• Record-holding monoliths in antiquity
• List of largest monoliths in the world
• List of obelisks in Rome

• Adam, Jean-Pierre (1977), "À propos du trilithon de Baalbek: Le transport et la mise en oeuvre des mégalithes", Syria, 54 (1/2): 31–63, doi:10.3406/syria.1977.6623
• Coulton, J. J. (1974), "Lifting in Early Greek Architecture", The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 94: 1–19, doi:10.2307/630416, JSTOR 630416, S2CID 162973494
• Heidenreich, Robert; Johannes, Heinz (1971), Das Grabmal Theoderichs zu Ravenna, Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag
• Jones, Mark Wilson (1993), "One Hundred Feet and a Spiral Stair: The Problem of Designing Trajan's Column", Journal of Roman Archaeology, 6: 23–38, doi:10.1017/S1047759400011454, S2CID 250348951
• Lancaster, Lynne (1999), "Building Trajan's Column", American Journal of Archaeology, 103 (3): 419–439, doi:10.2307/506969, JSTOR 506969, S2CID 192986322
• Maxfield, Valerie A. (2001), "Stone Quarrying in the Eastern Desert with Particular Reference to Mons Claudianus and Mons Porphyrites", in Mattingly, David J.; Salmon, John (eds.), Economies Beyond Agriculture in the Classical World, Leicester-Nottingham Studies in Ancient Society, vol. 9, London: Routledge, pp. 143–170, ISBN 0-415-21253-7
• Ruprechtsberger, Erwin M. (1999), "Vom Steinbruch zum Jupitertempel von Heliopolis/Baalbek (Libanon)", Linzer Archäologische Forschungen, 30: 7–56

• Lewis, M. J. T. (1984–85), "Roman Methods of Transporting and Erecting Obelisks", Transactions of the Newcomen Society, 56: 87–110, doi:10.1179/tns.1984.005
• Wirsching, Armin (2000), "How the Obelisks Reached Rome: Evidence of Roman Double-Ships", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 29 (2): 273–283, doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2000.tb01456.x, S2CID 162710923
• Wirsching, Armin (2003), "Supplementary Remarks on the Roman Obelisk-Ships", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 32 (1): 121–123, doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2003.tb01438.x, S2CID 233246649

• Traianus – Technical investigation of Roman public works