| Description
The large fragment is blank but shows clear blue veining on front and back. The two straight edges indicate it was the corner of a larger slab. There is possibly a clamp hole on the back along one of the edges.
Identification There were many blank areas on the Marble Plan, including the spaces occupied by the Tiber River (see fragment 24d), by gardens, arenas, temple precincts and courtyards--in short, any space devoid of architecture or human construction. In addition, several rows of large marble slabs occupied the entire lower part of the wall of the aula on which the Plan was installed, and probably also other walls. Blank fragments like this one could have originated from any of these areas. The strong blue veining of this fragment may indeed indicate that it was part of the wall revetment elsewhere in the Aula, rather than of the Plan itself.
Significance This database includes the first public presentation of 394 blank fragments from the Plan--they are not catalogued or illustrated in either of the two fundamental publications, PM 1960 and AG 1980. Because there are no incisions to guide scholars, the blank fragments have so far not played any role in attempts to put the Plan back together. Digital 3D matching may now allow blank parts of the Plan to be reconstructed together with incised areas. |
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