Late roman and early medieval marble capitals in Galicia: first overall considerations on their production, use and reuse

Within the ongoing research that is being carried out to identify and characterize the marble used in Galicia since Antiquity, this article details for the first time an inventory of marble capitals dating from the late Roman and early medieval period located where now is Galicia. The addition of a significant number of new pieces has substantially broadened the number of samples known to date. Indeed, despite their interest and quality, they have not been extensively studied as a whole within the eminently granitic panorama of this region until recent times. However, although most of these capitals appear decontextualized or in a secondary position, we consider that there are matching elements that evidence the interest shown since ancient times in obtaining and using marble in different constructions, a reality that continued with the multiple uses and reuses that these pieces were subjected to. Consequently, at the same time that the analytical research is being carried out to establish the origin of the raw material employed, this study presents a first step in the characterization of the material used in the construction of these capitals. We also reflect on their main formal and stylistic characteristics, the contexts of location and conservation of each of the pieces, and the different aspects linked to the use and reuse of marble pieces, according to their importance in order to understand the meaning of this phenomenon in the northwest area of the Iberian Peninsula.