Naxian marble has been known since ancient Greece. It offered raw material to local craftsmen and sculptors. In the Archaic period, Naxos was a flourishing Aegean center.

The earliest kouroi of Greece were found in Naxos, carved from its marble.

The Naxian marble comes mainly from five mountains near Kinidaros. A village 400 meters above sea level, fifteen kilometers east of Naxos town. It rivaled the finest marbles of its time: the Sphinx of the Naxians at Delphi, the House of the Naxians on Delos, two early korai of the Acropolis, sixteen lions lined up on Delos.

Today the mountains still hold marble. Sanidas, the oldest quarry, still active. Zas, with three quarries. Bolimbas, the largest, visible from the road. Dyraha, Amelathio, Skarentzos - some alive, some silent.