earth science

Lapis Lacedaemonius

Lapis Lacedaemonius is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lapis Lacedaemonius rather than just read about it. In short: Lapis Lacedaemonius (Latin: stone from Lacedaemon), also known as Spartan basalt, is a form of andesite or volcanic rock known today only from a single source in the village of Krokees on the Peloponnese in Greece. In addition, ancient sources mention a quarry of lapis Lacedaemonius in Taygetus.

Key takeaways

Lapis Lacedaemonius belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lapis Lacedaemonius to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lapis Lacedaemonius from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lapis Lacedaemonius (Latin: stone from Lacedaemon), also known as Spartan basalt, is a form of andesite or volcanic rock known today only from a single source in the village of Krokees on the Peloponnese in Greece. In addition, ancient sources mention a quarry of lapis Lacedaemonius in Taygetus. The stone has a dark green colour, speckled with elements shifting from yellow to light green. Occasionally, the speckles have crystallised in a way that creates rosette-like patterns. It is rated as having a hardness of six or higher on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It appears in comparatively small blocks. It is known in Italian as porfido verde antico and in German as Krokeischer Stein. The stone is known to have been processed by Neanderthals. In slightly more recent times, lapis Lacedaemonius has been used for making Minoan sealstones and vases, both Minoan and Mycenean. It also was used as an element in decorative elements created with opus sectile technique (with examples known from Ostia Antica and Nemi) during Roman times, as well as in several churches in Rome (e.g. Santa Prassede) and in the pavement of St. Peter's Square. Its use is mentioned by Pausanias. During the Middle Ages it was employed in mosaics in e.g. Palermo, Constantinople, and Santiago de Compostela. Furthermore, Roman and Byzantine decorative stones frequently were reused up until the eighteenth century. For example, in St. Mark's Basilica, Venice and also as far away from the Mediterranean Sea as in Westminster Abbey, London. The stone from Krokees comes from a lava dome approximately 230 million years old. Its light spots are plagioclase, which over time has turned into albite and epidote. In places, iron minerals have oxidized into hematite, giving it a reddish tone. Geologically similar rock, equally exploited during antiquity, may be found on Samothrace.

References

External links

Porfido Verde Antico Article about Lapis Lacedaemonius in Architettura di pietra. (in Italian)

Illustrations

Lapis Lacedaemonius: Lapis Lacedaemonius — Lapis Lacedaemonius

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lapis Lacedaemonius

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lapis Lacedaemonius claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lapis Lacedaemonius before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lapis Lacedaemonius ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lapis Lacedaemonius

In research: Lapis Lacedaemonius appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lapis Lacedaemonius in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lapis Lacedaemonius is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Andesite, Geology of Greece, Laconia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lapis Lacedaemonius outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lapis Lacedaemonius in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lapis Lacedaemonius means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lapis Lacedaemonius out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lapis Lacedaemonius in simple terms?

Why does Lapis Lacedaemonius matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lapis Lacedaemonius?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lapis Lacedaemonius.