Ancient Egyptians used granite in construction of monuments, pyramids and sculptures. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is made of limestone, a type of granite. The world-famous statue of Pharaoh is created from blocks of granite. Archaeologists have found copper and bronze tools that were used to carve granite. However, it is still a mystery how Egyptians could create the intricate details in the statues by using only chisels and flint tools. Besides granite and limestone, Egyptians also used quartz, basalt, diorite, quartzite and schist.
The Romans used red, pink and gray granite to build parts of the Pantheon and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Another type of granite is often referred to as Imperial porphyry for its dark red color. The columns of the Temple of Romulus and the statue of Rome in the Piazza del Campidoglio are made of the Imperial porphyry, which was delivered to Romans from Egypt, and appears almost purple in color.
The city of Barre, Vt., is famous for its Barre granite, the type of granite quarried exclusively in this region. Many Italian sculptors immigrated to Barre in the late 19th century and contributed to the development of the granite industry there. They used Barre granite to create statues for the city's parks and points of interest. In the late 20th century, Italian-American Philip Paini used Barre granite to carve a monument of a sculptor with a chisel and hammer in his hands.
Contemporary Sri Lankan artist A. Kalugalla uses granite to create modern-type sculptures. He frequents the local quarries in the southern part of Sri Lanka and selects rocks of "black stone," as it is locally called. This type of granite is closely related to the type quarried in India under the name of "Black Galaxy," because small particles of quartz in black stone shine in the sun, resembling the stars at night.