This rare stone comes from a small quarry in the Eastern Desert of Egypt visited by Cox with his Bedouin guide in the late 80’s. The quarry is small, with a few dressed blocks that have survived from antiquity. It would appear that this quarry had only been known to the Romans for a short time, as there are so few examples of its use.
Pegmatite is also known as ‘The Granite of the Column’; a short column supporting an altar in the church of St. Zenone and St. Prassede in Rome; is the best-known example of its use.
