Since the beginning of its power, Venice has had intense contacts with Eastern Mediterranean countries. These contacts allowed Venice to import goods from current Turkey and from countries at the end of the Silk Road. This strong connection with the East, that for Venice was steadier than all other European cities, from commercial soon became antiquarian: muddy and wooden Venice turned into in a city of marble, fabricating its buildings with antique material coming from those lands, initially by chance and later intentionally. Greek and Asia Minor antique cities’ ruins offered extraordinary objects that were then reused in Saint Mark’s Basilica as well as sculptures, gems, bronzes that were sent to the market.