Losing their marbles - how trade war threatens ancient Greek industry

Greece's ancient marble industry, once used to build the Parthenon, is facing a very modern crisis - a looming trade war.

Proposed U.S. tariffs on European goods have put Greek marble at the heart of global trade tensions. The industry, which supports thousands across northern Greece, now faces rising costs, shrinking demand and growing uncertainty.

"The market's shrinking. We can't absorb more costs," said Ioulia Chaida, deputy CEO of marble giant Iktinos. "The pressure is everywhere - not just here."

Greece exports more than $2.68 billion in goods to the U.S. annually, with marble among its most prized products. 

The U.S. is Greece's fifth-largest export destination, and for companies in regions like Drama and Thassos, it's a critical one. But new tariffs - some proposed as high as 50 percent - could change everything.

Transport company owner Spyros Papamarinos hauls up to seven marble loads a day. "That's how I support my family," he said. "If it slows down, we're in trouble."

And it already has. Some clients are rushing orders. Others are canceling. Product manager Alexandros Zorpidis, who oversees one of the largest quarries in Volakas, said the instability is hitting home.

"I've got a 9-year-old," Zorpidis said. "You want him to have a better future. But if marble stops — what then?"

The U.S.-China trade war has also had ripple effects. With Chinese demand softening, more Greek exporters have turned west, just as new barriers rise. That's left U.S. importers like Nikos Koleidis struggling to compete.

"If tariffs go higher, we'll have to raise prices - and we can't match China or Turkey," Koleidis said. "I've already cut imports by 75 percent."

For local economies built on marble, the impact is wide. "It's not just me," said Papamarinos. "It's the café, the gas station, the electrician. If the quarry stops, everyone feels it."

Alkiviadis Kalampokis, president of the Panhellenic Exporters Association, warns the damage could be long-term. "We built this market over decades. If it collapses under tariffs, it won't come back easily."

For now, the machines keep running. But the future of Greek marble - and the communities that depend on it - hangs in the balance.