The Etruscans were an ancient civilization that inhabited parts of central Italy from the 8th to 3rd centuries BC. They developed a thriving culture with advanced art and religious practices, though their language remains largely unknown. Etruscan art flourished especially in tomb painting, sculpture used to decorate temples, and ornate objects buried with the dead. Their art showed influences from Greece but maintained a distinctive style, providing insights into Etruscan life and beliefs through depictions of daily activities and religious ceremonies.

1. The Etruscans

2. The Etruscans were a civilization that once inhabited Etruria (now known as Tuscany) and part of Umbria
in Italy. Some archaeologists do not agree on where the Etruscan culture originated from but many think
that they migrated from the Aegean region or even Northern Europe, while others believe that the culture
developed in Tuscany itself.
The Etruscans lived from the 8th to the 2nd Century BC before the Romans took over their culture causing
their civilization to deteriorate and be absorbed completely. However, before this happened the Etruscans
had established a thriving, well organized civilization with a strong social structure and highly developed
artistic style. Because of their proximity to the sea and central position in the Mediterranean, they had a very
powerful and wealthy maritime force.
The Etruscans were very much influenced by the Greeks, who were already an established and thriving
civilization. This had a strong impact on the types of artwork the Etruscans produced, many of their
sculptures for example were similar to Greek sculpture. Although the Etruscans still had a definite unique
character in their artwork (which is evident in much of their painting), they copied the Greek Alphabet and
many aspects of Greek mythology. And because much of their language is still not completely understood
and the meanings of the words and grammar still not deciphered it is difficult to detail precisely where their
other influences originated.
Etruscan art, especially their paintings had warmth, character and vitality. The scenes they painted and
recorded represented natural, realistic and playful settings and always recounted an event or told a story.
They loved using color in their work. The Etruscans were a very religious people and their beliefs were a
large feature in all their artwork. The decorations and artifacts that have been discovered in their tombs also
help studies and research conducted by historians. These discoveries have shown that the Etruscans were a
sensuous and fun-loving people who enjoyed their everyday life and what it brought. This mood is clearly
represented in their artwork.

4. Banditaccia necropolis, Cerveteri, 7th to 2nd centuries BC.
The Etruscan obsession with elaborate burials leads us to suppose that they may have
had an underlying belief, similar to the Egyptians that a part of the soul remained with
the body, or at least that the body was important for the afterlife. Having said that, the
earliest grave sites were cremations, with the ash being retained either in biconical urns,
or urns fashioned to represent huts.
The most common tombs are those of the underground chamber and tumulus types,
where the inner rooms imitate and at times faithfully reproduce the settings of the
dwellings of the living. In the 5th century BC, a real city of the dead rose up with streets
intersecting at right angles and areas devoted to worship.

5. Burial Chamber. Tomb of the Reliefs,
Cerveteri, Italy. 3rd century BC.
The tomb is of the hypogeum type, dug to a considerable depth in the ground. The external entrance
was originally watched over by a pair of lions carved out of the tufa. This is one of the few tombs in
Caere where the colours of paintings have survived, as they were painted using a clay base to form
reliefs.
The tomb consists of a single chamber, with shelves and hollows in the walls. The ceiling is supported
by two pillars, with Aeolian capitals, on which are reproduced objects from domestic and military use
through as well as animals (eg cats). The technique used sketching the object on the wall, and then
using terracotta clay to create the objects some of which is done using stamps and moulds. All it has
been then skillfully covered with vivid colors.

6. The two occupants probably
belong to the family which
founded the tomb,
representatives of the
Matuna family. On the two
semipillars that frame the
loculo objects are carved
legacies to the life of the
aristocratic family: on the
left, for the man a water jug,
a double handled drinking
vessel (Kylix);to the right
for the woman, there are
two necklaces, a necklace of
leaves, a stick and a fan.
All around the walls runs a frieze of crews: helms, spears, shields, perhaps
emphasizing the participation of the deceased in military campaigns. It should be
emphasized that the tomb dates to the age of the wars with Rome, a little before end of
the 4th Century BCE.
The beds reproduced in the niches around the walls were covered with cloths and
pillows molded with remarkable realism

7. Fibula with Orientalizing lions, from the
Regolini-Galassi Tomb, Cerveteri, c.
650 - 640 BC. Gold, appprox. 12 ½"
high.
So what sort of art have the Etruscans left us? Most of it is
small scale tomb goods, much of that found in the burials
of Cerveteri and Tarquinia, on the coast a few miles north
of Rome. Here is a golden fibula (shoulder-pin for holding
a garment together), for a wealthy merchant’s wife. Fibula
are an Italic utensil, but the five lions marching across this
one have a distinctly Near Eastern look to them. The
techniques of granulation (the five dot flowers in the
borders) and repoussé (metal foil pushed out from behind)
are also “Eastern,” according to our text. Also found in
the tomb are a golden pectoral that covered the (deceased)
woman’s chest and two gold circlets that may be either
earrings or bracelets.

8. Surviving Etruscan painting in
underground funerary vaults,
consists of murals on the stone or
plastered stone walls and ceilings of
tombs. Frescoes frequently depict
banquets, festivals, and scenes of
daily life, sometimes have subjects
from religion, some depict figures
dancing or playing musical
instruments. Figures are stylized,
heavy, and often outlined in black.
They painted little birds or animals
which somehow do not seem out of
place or look like merely decorations,
but landed a natural harmony to the
finished work.
Tomb of Hunting and Fishing, Tarquinia, Italy. c. 520 BC

10. The internal walls of Etruscan tombs such as those at Cerveteri and Tarquinii still
contain the remains of magnificent murals which give us a considerable insight
into the Etruscan way of life. A commonly recurring theme is the banquet, which
in the case of the Necropolis paintings, carried a double meaning. For the banquet
was also an intrinsic part of the religious ceremony at funerals. After all the
formal funeral ceremonies were complete, the relatives of the deceased were
treated to a sumptuous banquet, at which the spirit of the departed was believed
to attend.

11. Ceiling: Polychrome checker board pattered. The columen is decorated with concentric circles
(the circles symbolize time).
Main Wall: three scenes are shown. Every cline is matrimonial, ie for both man and woman
(contrast with the Greek custom where women were excluded from the banquet).
The central shows two persons banqueting (perhaps relatives of the deceased) and look towards
a servant who is carrying an oinochoe or wine jug. There is a series of small trees, which give
an impression of the rural landscape in which the funeral banquet is carried out.
The couple on the left scene appear to be engrossed in conversation without paying any
attention to the others. The man on the right is offering a large egg to the woman. The egg is a
symbol of life after death (cf. Easter eggs in the Christian tradition). All are wearing crowns of
laurel for the festive occasion.
NOTE: Lighter skin for women….Egyptian art did this too.

12. The Etruscans created artistic objects mostly for
religious purposes. Important part of their art is
associated with their funerary customs.
This urn obviously contained the ashes of the
deceased.
Human-headed cinerary urn. C. 675 - 650 BC.
Terra-cotta, height 25 ½".

14. Apollo, from Veii. c. 510 BC
Terra-cotta, height 69".
ACROTERIA: Small statues or
ornaments placed at the apex and ends
of a pediment.
Terracotta was, however, the favorite material for sculpture . It
was used instead of stone or marble during nearly the entire
period for the temple sculptures. The gables and friezes were of
terracotta slabs, in high or low relief, fastened to the wooden
framework. The acroteria and antefixes were usually figures,
busts, or heads, in relief, of terracotta, and were used on a large
scale throughout the south of Italy.
The Apollo has the Greek Archaic look and is similarly painted.
but the work is stylistically more awkward in terms of the
figure and lacks the serenity of the Greek Archaic.

16. Reconstruction of an Etruscan temple.
[Model of a typical Etruscan temple of
the sixth century BC, as described by
Vitruvius.]

17. Etruscans built palaces, public buildings, and early temples in wood and brick. . Unfortunately, the
Etruscans didn’t follow Greek influence and use stone architecture back then. However, they used
stone for the foundations of their temples, but used "wood for the superstructure of their temples and,
consequently, these have not survived, as the beautiful stone architecture of the Greek world has done.
The Etruscans did, however, cover the wooden elements of the temples with terracotta, using this
medium both as a protection and for decoration, and the long series of temple terracottas, which often
survive…provide much evidence both for the development of sculpture and, with the stone
foundations, for the appearance of the temples.
From early times in Italy, the gods were worshipped and auspices taken in open air sanctuaries.The
building of temples, the dwelling in which the image of the god was placed, came with a more
anthropomorphic religious conception, when the gods were represented in human form. Ceramic
models of temples, as well as traces of later stone structures, indicate how temples were built in
enclosures and had tiled, gabled roofs supported on pillars, like their Greek counterparts. An Etruscan
temple, to meet religious requirements, was located on a north-south axis and stood on a high podium
with a four-columned porch. Roman temples were patterned on the form developed by the Etruscans.

18. Greek vs. Etruscan Temples
Similarities
Gable roof
General design
Columns
Triangular cornice
Differences The Etruscan temple:
Rests on tall base, or podium
Narrow stairway on south side
Steps lead to deep porch
Columns only in front
Cella divided into three zones
Constructed of wood, sun-dried brick and terra-cotta

20. The cult of the dead, similar to
contemporaneous Egyptian practices,
produced a highly developed sepulchral
art. The sculptured lids of sarcophagi
often represented a single figure or a
couple with the haunting archaic smile so
evident in early Greek sculpture.
This exceptional monument is in reality a
large double cinerary urn. Heightened
with bright polychrome painting, and
harmoniously composed, it represents the
deceased tenderly embracing. Reclining in
the attitude of banqueters, according to a
fashion born in Asia Minor, they are
caught in the gesture of offering perfume,
which is, along with the sharing of wine
(symposion) -they are both propped up on
wineskins- one of the essential components
of Etruscan funerary ritual.
Both figures are propped up on their left
elbow with the man close behind the
woman. Both faces share a secret, tender
smile. Sarcophagus from Cerveteri, c. 520 BCE,
terracotta, length 6'7"

22. Mars from Todi
end of 5th cent. BC
hollow-cast bronze
height cm 141
This is one of the very rare objects of ancient Italic
statuary that has survived to our time. It shows a
warrior dressed in armour and, originally, with a
helmet, portrayed in the act of performing a
libation before battle, pouring the liquid contained
in a particular form of cup (patera) held by the
extended right hand, while with the left he leans
on an iron spear (the patera and remains of the
spear, not visible in the photo, are in the
showcase). The statue, which betrays the influence
of Classic Greek art.
(contraposto, naturalism.) It was found in Todi,
buried between slabs of Travertine, perhaps after
having been hit by lightning. The dedicatory
inscription, in the language of the ancient
Umbrians but in the Etruscan alphabet, recalls
that the statue was given as a gift (dunum dede) by
a certain Ahal Trutitis.

23. NEW RESEARCH SAYS THIS MAY NOT BE ETRUSCAN
Chimera of Arezzo, 4th B.C.
The Chimera is a mythological animal having the body of a lion, the tail of a snake and the
head of a goat on its back: the lion symbolizes strength and heat and therefore summer; the
snake earth and darkness and therefore winter; the goat landscape and transition and so
autumn and spring.
The Chimera is a terrific animal which is finally defeated by Bellerophon thanks to a
special winged horse the goddess Minerva had given him. It is thought that the statue was
part of a bigger group representing Bellerophon fighting against the Chimera on his horse
Pegasus: the animal has been deadly wounded and is fiercely trying to defend itself.
The Etruscans has demonic symbolism as the Etruscans believed that the the dead of the
underworld were plagued by creatures like the chimera.

25. Etruscan mirrors were generally cast in
bronze,which is an alloy of copper and tin.
Etruscan mirrors were generally cast in one
piece, with a blunt spike known as a tang. This
tang was then inserted into a handle made
from some other material such as wood,
timber, bone or ivory. However in some
examples, the mirror was cast entirely in
bronze and included an integral bronze
handle.
The reverse of many Etruscan mirrors have a
picture engraved or molded in low relief. The
front of the mirror was highly polished using
such materials as ground pumice or cuttle fish
bone.
The image on the priest examining the liver
come from the art of divination- telling the
past and future. First the animal was ritually
slaughtered. Next it was butchered, with the
haruspex examining the size, shape, color,
markings etc. of certain internal organs,
usually the liver (hepatoscopy), but also the
gall, heart and lungs. There are often
references to the Greek and Minoan myths in
Etruscan works and it is also clear that
divination was an important Etruscan activity.
Calchas, priest of Apollo, (mentioned in Homer's Iliad)
examines the liver of a sacrificed sheep.
Bronze mirror (Vatican City, Museo Gregoriano Etrusco)

26. Ficoroni cista from Praeneste (Palestrina), late 4th c
The Ficoroni Cista is a bronze container than held a
women’s toiletries. They contained the mirrors,
strigils, spatulae and other implements women
needed for the care of their bodies. Think about an
ancient“caboodle.”
This particular cista was inscribed as a gift from a
noble woman as a wedding present for the bride
from her mother. It was later placed in her tomb.
. These ornate cylindrical containers were made of
sheets of bronze and decorated with engraved
friezes.
This cista depicts a scene from the Greek story of
Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden
Fleece. It is thought that this work was inspired by
a original Greel panel painting. On the lid of the
cista is a representation of Dionysus flanked by two
satyrs.

28. .
Although She-Wolf of the Capitol (circa 500 BCE) is actually an
Etruscan sculpture, it is associated with Roman art. The bronze
statue, which stands 85 cm (33 in) high, is the symbol of the
city of Rome. The mythological Romulus and Remus were
supposed to have been kept alive by a wolf in order to fulfill
their destiny as founders of the city. The figures of the infants
were created during the Renaissance, but the wolf is Etruscan.
According to tradition, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC.
The legend says that Romulus and Remus, the twins of the
War God "Mars", were cast adrift on the River Tiber and
survived by being raised by a she-wolf. Romulus later, during a
family feud, killed his brother Remus. Romulus was not only
the founder of Rome, but also its first King. The Palatine Hill
was already inhabited, bearing traces of an Early Iron
settlement. The site was chosen, it is said, because the
River Tiber could be more easily crossed at that point.

30. The Orator" - A second century BCE life-size representation
of Aulus Metellus, magistrate and Master of the Etruscan
Language. The inscription (above) on the statue is in
Etruscan. and reads AULE-SHI METELI-SH VE VESIAL
CLENSHI CEN FLERESH TECESAN-SHL TENINE
TUTHINESH XISVLICSH", which may mean something
like:"The sons of Aulus Metellus (deceased), holder of public
office, placed this statue as a votive gift in his memory as
pledged."
Obviously, it is a sculpture representing Roman or Etruscan
of the city council and usual for the official to a pose of the
orator. He stretches forward the right hand - gesture which
becomes traditional and will be repeatedly repeated in the
Roman products. Breed and length of a toga, characteristic
for early time, confirm dating this monument about 100
years BC. The person is especially interesting; loss of inlaid
eyes has deprived with his(its) known share of
expressiveness. Nevertheless this portrait image of a real
person... In this sculpture there are no elements of
idealization of the image peculiar to the Greek portrait.
The Etruscans have indeed become Roman.