granite
granite. Coarse-grained hard igneous crystalline rock composed of feldspar, mica, and quartz, usually grey or dark red, and capable of taking a high polish. Used by the Ancient Egyptians (e.g. for obelisks), it was also employed by the Romans for, e.g. the shafts of columns. As industrialized methods of cutting stone developed in C19, the material was frequently used for ashlar work, and especially for funerary monuments in the new cemeteries.
Bibliography
N. Davey (1961);
W. McKay (1957);
W. Papworth (1852)
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