Assignment 2

Etruscans

Presented by: Group 2

PRESENTATION OUTLINE
I II III
ART COSTUME CULTURE
AND AND AND
ARCHITECTURE TEXTILE MODERN MEDIA
 INTRODUCTION
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of
ancient Italy.

Its homeland was in the area of central Italy, just north of Rome, which is
today called Tuscany.

The Etruscan civilization flourished in central Italy between the 8th and
3rd century BCE.

The culture was renowned in antiquity for its rich mineral resources and
as a major Mediterranean trading power.

Much of its culture and even history was either obliterated or assimilated
into that of its conqueror, Rome.

.
The Greeks called the Etruscans Tyrsenoi
or Tyrrhenoi, while the Latins referred
to them as Tusci or Etrusci, whence the
English name for them.

According to the Greek historian

Dionysius the Etruscans called themselves
Rasenna, and this statement finds
confirmation in the form rasna in
Etruscan inscriptions.

Surviving Etruscan tombs, their contents

and their wall paintings, as well as the
Roman adoption of certain Etruscan
clothing, religious practices, and
architecture, are convincing testament to
the great prosperity and significant
contribution to Mediterranean culture
achieved by Italy's first great civilization
 Art and
architecture
 ART

Art of the people of Etruria falls into three categories:-

Funerary, Urban and Sacred. Because of Etruscan attitudes towards the afterlife, most
of theart that remains is Funerary.

THE ART HISTORY CHRONOLOGY of the Etruscans can be divided into four categories:-

1) PROTO-ETRUSCAN OR VILLANOVA PERIOD(850-700BCE)

(2) MIDDLE ETRUSCAN OR ORIENTALIZING PERIOD (700-650 BCE)
(3) LATE ETRUSCAN OR CLASSICAL PERIOD (650-330 BCE)
(4) ETRUSCO HELLENISTIC PERIOD (330-100BCE)
PROTO-ETRUSCAN OR
VILLANOVA PERIOD

The most distinctive Etruscan Art Style is in

the drawing of Human form that is people
with broad shoulders, wasp-like waists and
muscular calves.

Horses and Water birds were popular motifs.

Soldiers had high helmets with Horsechair
crests and often objects are decorated with
geometric dots, zigzags, circles, spirals, cross-
hatchets, egg-patterns and meanders.

The distinctive pottery style of this period is a

Greyish Black Ware called- IMPASTO ITALICO.
 MIDDLE ETRUSCAN
OR ORIENTALIZING
PERIOD
The art and culture of this period were
orientalized by intensive influence from
the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Lion and Griffin replaced horses and

water birds as dominant symbols. There
are often two-headed animals also.

Humans are illustrated with a detailed

articulation of muscles.

Their hair is often arranged in bands.

The primary ceramic style using greyish

impasto clay with a deep black colour is
called-BUCCHERO NERO.
LATE ETRUSCAN OR CLASSICAL
PERIOD

An influx of Greek ideas and

perhaps the craftsmen affected
the Etruscan Art Styles in the
late Etruscan period.

By the end of this period, a

slow loss of Etruscan style
began. More Bronze mirrors
were made.

The defining Etruscan pottery

style of this period is called
IDRIA CERETANE.
 ETRUSCO
HELLENISTIC
PERIOD

This was the period of slow decline of the

Etruscans as the Romans took over the
Italian Peninsula. Ceramics were dominated
by mass produced pottery known as
MALCENA WARE.

Some impressive bronzes in the form of

engraved mirrors, candelabra and incense
buners reflect the growing Roman Influence.
Iconic Features

One iconic feature of the Etruscan Art was the

ENGRAVED MIRROR. More than 3,500 Etruscan mirrors
have been found in the funerary contexts dated to the
4thcentury BCE or later. Most of them are engraved
with complicated scenes of humans and plant life.

The subject matter often is from Greek Mythology but

the treatment, iconography and style are strictly
Etruscan.

The backs of the mirrors were made out of Bronze, in

the shape of a round box or flat with a handle. The
reflecting side was typically made of a combination of
tin and copper, but there is an increasing percentage of
lead over time.

Those made or intended for funerals are marked with

the Etruscan word Su Oina.
 Iconic Features

Another iconic feature of the Etruscan art

is a Procession—a line of people walking
along in the same direction. These are
found painted on Frescoes and carved into
the boxes of sacrophagi.

The procession is a ceremony that

signifies solemnity and serves to
distinguish the ritual from the mundane.

In Funerary Art, processions represent

preparations for banquetsand games, the
presentation of tomb offerings for the
deceased, sacrifices to the spirits of the
deador the deceased trip to theunderworld.
Iconic Features

The most information that we have

about Etruscan society comes from
brilliantly painted Frescoes inside the
rock-cut tombs dated between the 7
the– 2nd centuries BCE.

Six thousand Etruscan tombs have been

found to date. Out of these only 180
have Frescoes. So it seems it was
restricted to elite persons.
Iconic Features

During the 6th century BCE, there was also

a trend of burying the body in decorative
sarcophagi.

Both types could feature a sculpted figure of

the deceased on the lid and, in the case of
sarcophagi, sometimes a couple.

The most famous example of this latter type

is the Sarcophagus of the Married Couple
from Cerveteri, now in the Villa Giulia in
Rome.

The two figures recline on a couch or bed

with the husband's right arm around the
shoulders of his wife.

Originally they would have held objects such

as perfume bottles or eggs, symbols of
regeneration.
 Iconic Features

In the Hellenistic Period the funerary arts

really took off, and figures, although
rendered in similar poses to the 6th-century
BCE sarcophagi versions, become less idealised
and more realistic portrayals of the dead.

They usually portray only one individual and

were originally painted in bright colours. The
sides of the lower box part are often
decorated with relief sculpture depicting
scenes from mythology or architectural
motifs, for example, triglyphs and rosettes.
 Iconic Features

Bronze statuette of a young woman

Terracotta barrel-shaped oinochoe (jug)
late 6th century BC
725-700 BC Inspired by archaic greek korai,
Often found with bird-shaped Folds are prominently visible from the front are absent on
Maybe connected to wine ritual the back of the statue, perhaps an indication that the artist
Influenced by greek geometric pottery was
looking at a two-dimensional source
The pointed shoes (calcei repandi), here elaborately rendered
with meticulously detailed laces and floral ornament, are
 Architecture

It is believed that the Etruscan architectural tradition developed around the 7th century BC,
perhaps as a result of Greek colonisation that took place in southern Italy.

Very little Etruscan architecture survives, as many of the cities were destroyed by the
Romans who built over them during the rise of the Roman Empire.

Some of their city walls and characteristic masonry arched gateways remain.

Unlike the Greeks (and later, the Romans) who used stone, the Etruscans favoured building
using wood, clay, brick and tufa (building blocks made from the region’s volcanic ash).

Stone was reserved for city walls, building foundations and tombs. The traces of Etruscan
architecture that have been preserved are primarily religious temples where stone was used
for the foundations.
 Problems with Reconstruction

Unfortunately, reconstructing the towns and buildings of the Etruscans is made difficult by
the absence of any substantial remains.

A great number of Etruscan towns were completely covered by later cities in the medieval
and modern periods, making any excavations today either problematic or impossible.

Other sources of information are required, and fortunately, the Etruscans themselves are able
to provide it in their depictions of architecture in tomb paintings and pottery vessels made in
the form of buildings from primitive huts to large temples.

Roman writers, too, have contributed to our greater knowledge of Etruscan architecture
through their admiring descriptions.

Finally, one area where no texts or reconstructions are needed are the thousands of
surviving tombs the Etruscans built, which evolved over the centuries from tumuli to grand
stone-vaulted chambers housing multiple generations of the dead.
 Houses

Domestic architecture was built from more perishable materials: wood,

sun-dried mud brick, or waddle and daub for the walls.

Examples of the 7th-6th-century BCE circular and oval huts

show that the walls there once had a plaster covering.

Wooden poles provided additional support and held up a thatch roof.

Stone was sometimes used for foundations and lower levels, though.

As with larger public buildings, the roofs of houses may have been
decorated with terracotta additions such as palmettes, lotus motifs, and
figurines.

Saddle tiles of the same material protected the apex of the roof of
rectangular buildings, while examples of a centre tile with a hole in it
survive from round structures, made to either admit light or allow
smoke to escape
 Houses

From the early 6th century BCE houses have multiple

intercommunicating rooms, sometimes with a hall and
a private courtyard.

These still have only one floor. Excavations show that

early communities had some basic form of planning
with several houses arranged around a shared
courtyard.

This was also advantageous for the construction of

rock-cut drainage channels placed between houses.

The Etruscans were particularly concerned with

rituals and rites connected to planning and the layout
of buildings and considered certain arrangements
auspicious.
 Temples

The earliest Etruscan sacred spaces had no architecture to

speak of, merely being an outdoor area defined as sacred
with an altar where rites were performed.

Material used was wood on a stone foundation with

considerable use of terracotta for decorative elements and
roof tiling

One of the standard ground plans seems to have been a

simple structure with a cella divided into three parts which
has been interpreted as a provision for the worship of a
triad of gods (Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva)

The temple usually was raised on a podium or platform

approached by a flight of stairs
 Temples

It is all too tempting to use Vitruvius’ De architectura to reconstruct the walls and columns of
Etruscan temples now missing from the archaeological record.

The Roman treatise gives a clear formula for the floor plan of the temple designed according to
Tuscany tendencies, but this floor plan differs from that of many Etruscan religious buildings
reconstructed from archaeological evidence.

Vitruvius, or at least the text attributed to him today after a long and tortuous tradition of
manuscripts, details how the temple was laid out in proportions that fit the Tuscan style:
​Take the place where the temple will be built; no matter how long or short, divide it into six parts.

​ ake away one part; assign what remains to the width.

T
​Divide the length in two. The interior of the room assigned to the cell.
​The part next to the façade will be left for the arrangement of the columns. Also divide the width
into ten parts.

​ he space in front of the cell that will be in the front porch should be bordered by the post as
T
follows: The corner post should be placed opposite the front of the outermost wall.
​The two central columns should be spaced so that they face the wall between the center of the
temple and Antai. Place the second set of columns between the antae and the first set of columns.
Temples
Tombs

The earliest Etruscan burials were essentially of

2 types- pit burial containing an urn with the
ashes of the deceased or a trench burial for the
remains

Around 700 BC developed tombs came into

appearance
o 2 types-

▪ Chamber-tomb with a doomed or bee-hive

shape constructed of corbelled masonry. It’s
shape could be round or square. Side rooms
provided space for remains of other family
members and personal belongings. Covered by
mound or tumulus.

▪ 400 BC- tomb was cut into the rock or tufa

hillside. Imitation of wooden architectural
elements were carved on the façade and in the
interior of the tombs

Subject matter of tomb painting- funerary

banquet and greek mythology
 Tombs

The walls of the tombs of the Etruscan elite

were painted with colourful and lively scenes
from mythology, religious practices, and
Etruscan daily life, especially banquets and
dancing.

Architectural features are present framing

such scenes or are even depicted in them.

Tombs frequently have a painted door and

frame, for example, as a metaphor for the
deceased's passage into the next life.

Other features appearing in paint include

windows and columns and these are helpful
in substantiating archaeological excavations
of real buildings.
costumes and
textiles
Women's Clothing

Outer garments are often sumptuously embroidered

with decorative motifs such as the lady in the
Tomb of Francesca Giustiniani at Tarquinia whose
orange-pink cloak is speckled with dots and stars.
The dark red cloak of a lady in the Tomb of the
Lionesses at Tarquinia (530-520 BCE) is decorated
with embroidered flowers and has blue additions in
front which hang like wide straps.

Dancers in tombs at Chiusi have the same type of

hanging lapels or reverse in front. The hems of
garments sometimes have tasseled or otherwise
decorative fringes..
 Men's Clothing

We have seen that women's clothes could be colorful with

embroidered decoration, and men's clothes were sometimes
no different. The magistrate or auspicium (reader of omens)
known as Vel Saties from the Francois Tomb at Vulci (late
4th century BCE) is an example.

He wears a striking dark blue embroidered cloak which

has several nude male figures who are dancing while
carrying shields in a slightly garish concoction.

Another commonly depicted item is the short tunic or jerkin

(tunica), worn with a belt.

Finally, priests have a costume of their own: a sheepskin

worn inside out over a simple sleeved tunic which hangs
down to the boots. The costume is completed with a soft
conical-peaked hat held in place by chin straps.
Men's Clothing

One of the longer-lasting fashions the Etruscans

gave to antiquity was the toga, to them the
trebenna.

Worn over the left shoulder and leaving the right

shoulder bare, it is seen in mid-6th-century BCE
terracotta plaques from Cerveteri where a king
wears a purple one. Other figures wear one, this
time decorated with a red border, in the Tomb of
the Augurs at Tarquinia (c. 520 BCE).

The Etruscans, seemed to have been a little more

democratic with their clothing, for the toga, usually
all white, is seen in tomb paintings worn by
musicians in, for example, Tarquinia.
 TEXTILES

The inhabitants of Etruria utilized

sophisticated technologies for textile production
and that they were familiar with diverse
fibers, dyes, and weaving techniques. Textile
production was both a domestic and a
commercial activity in Etruria. Spinning and
weaving were carried out by the women of
every household. During the Orientalizing and
Archaic periods, there is a significant increase
in the scale of textile production, indicated by
the large number and standardization of tools
on settlement sites, as well as the
standardization of certain textile types.
 Footwear

According to Turner Wilcox (2008), the

Etruscans became adept shoe makers. The most
common types of footwear were high sandals,
mules, slippers, ankle boots and one
characteristic type of shoe, with upward
curving toes. The latter may have been a
reference to the Phrygian (Turkish) origins of
the Etruscans where turned up shoes were
previously known. Fashionable women in the
late 6th c BCE wore red shoes with turned up
toes. Pointed toed shoes were replaced with
sandals by the 5th c BCE. Later shoes made by
Etruscan craftsmen became highly sought
after in ancient Rome and Greece.
Sandals with hinged wooden soles reinforced with bronze were
especially popular and commonly referred to as ‘Tyrrhenian sandals.”
According to Rossi (2000) the hinged sandals helped natural foot flexion.

Fine leather uppers of various colours were often embroidered, painted

and sown with jewels. These were fastened with gilt or golden straps.
Etruscan shoe makers developed a
technique to attach the sole of the
sandal to the upper with metal tacks.
Prior to this, sandals were stitched
and could with wear break easily.
Tacks not only secured a better bond
but also offered greater traction to
grip the ground. This small but
important innovation meant with
more robust footwear the Roman
Empire could expand.
The Greek endormis (fur lined boot), was also worn to
protect the legs from the cold.Etruscan soldiers fought bare
footed but had metal or leather greaves to protect their
shins. By the Second Century BCE slippers made from fine
leather and dyed yellow or cloth became fashionable.
How Etruscan looked like
 HEAD GEARS

A petasos or petasus (Greek: πέτασος) is a broad brimmed hat of

Thessalian origin worn by ancient Greeks, Thracians and Etruscans,
often in combination with the chlamys cape. It was made of wool
felt, leather, straw or animal skin. Women's versions had a high
crown while those for men featured a lower crown. It was worn
primarily by farmers, travellers and hunters, and was considered
characteristic of rural people. Elite Greek men generally chose not to
wear hats. As a winged hat, it became the symbol of Hermes, the
Greek mythological messenger god. Along with the pileus, the petasos
was the most common hat worn in Greece between 1200 and 146
B.C.E.Its wide brim protected the wearer from the sun and rain while
a lengthy strap allowed wearers to secure it under the chin.
When not needed, the hat was
often worn hanging behind the
head. Its popularity later extended
to the Etruscans, the Byzantine
Empire and the Roman Empire, in
slightly modified forms. A type of
metal helmet worn by Athenian
cavalry was made in the shape of
a petasos. Some examples have
holes around the outer edge of the
brim, presumably so a fabric
cover could be attached. These are
known from reliefs and vase
paintings, with at least one
archaeological example found in
an Athenian tomb.
 JEWELLERY
One of the highlights of Etruscan costume was its striking jewelry. The Etruscans developed a gold-
working technique known as granulation, which involved soldering tiny grains of gold on a smooth
background to create a glittering effect

Etruscans wore bracelets, necklaces, earrings, clasps and pins, and other types of jewelry. They also wore
makeup and complicated, braided hairstyles.

Early Etruscan men wore beards, though later a clean-shaven face became the norm. Many of the
costume traditions of the Etruscans were lost to history, but many others lived on in the traditions of the
Romans.

Although granulation, embossing, and filigree had been used in Mesopotamia and Egypt earlier, the
Etruscans perfected the techniques to a very impressive level. The delicacy and technical precision were a
complete novelty for that time. A firm belief in the afterlife by the Etruscan people has caused us to be
able to enjoy these pieces today; the Etruscans sent their dead to their graves in full gear. Not only their
metalworking skills but also their use of gemstones like sapphire, emerald and garnets makes the
Etruscan artists pioneers in the field of Europe’s decorative art.
 EXAMPLE OF GRANULATION,
EXAMPLE OF FILIGREE, FROM
FROM MODERN TIMES…
MODERN TIMES…

EXAMPLE OF EMBOSSING,

Victorian Etruscan Revival Bangle Bracelet Vintage Filigree and Diamond

with Granulation and Wirework Design Pin/Pendant.
Elements.
Embossed Etruscan Breastplate.
 OVERVIEW -

Etruscan jewelry can be roughly divided into two periods: Early Etruscan and Late Etruscan. From
the 7th century BC until the 5th the civilisation came to its full glory. The best pieces of jewelry
come from these times. Early Etruscan jewelry is characterized by its abundance, high skills of the
makers and its variety. The Etruscans loved color; faience, colored gemstones and glass beads are
therefore often decorating their work. A certain amount of Greek influence is to be recognized,
such as an increased use of filigree after the 7th century BC.

Gold was scarce to the Etruscans and this is expressed by the lightness and precision workmanship
on an incredible minute scale. Much of the sheet gold used is less than 0,1 mm thick. Where thicker
rods were needed, sheet gold would be rolled up to form hollow tubes. The most famous technique
of the Etruscans is their perfect granulation that was applied without any solder.

After 400BC foreign forces started to nibble on the Etruscan world. Celts from the north were
attacking the northern cities, Italics were doing the same in the south. The political and economic
position of the Etruscans deteriorated. A situation that was reflected in their jewelry: flimsy sheet
gold pieces with simple embossing replaced the fabulous jewelry from the first period. Granulation
and filigree were used only occasionally. Eventually, the Etruscan civilisation was absorbed by the
upcoming Roman civilisation..
 FIBULAE (SAFETY PIN) -
Gold sanguisuga-type fibulae with glass
paste bows
late 8th–early 7th century B.C.
Glass was a rare and expensive commodity in archaic Italy. A
number of fibulae with bows made of glass paste have been
excavated at Etruscan sites from Bologna to Veii but all of
these have bronze pins and catch plates. Our examples, the
only ones known to employ gold, must have significantly
enhanced their owner's status.
(sanguisuga - leech, a type of blood sucking worm)
Silver navicella-type fibula
7th–6th century B.C.
Fibula with elegant filigree decoration along the hollow
bow.
This exquisite silver fibula is a triumph of Etruscan
filigree decoration. The spine of the hollow silver bow is
enlivened with a rectangular panel of serpentine wires
framed by beaded wires. The tapering ends of the bow
are wrapped by fine wires to create surfaces of great
beauty and elegance. By contrast, the clasp is
undecorated.
(Navicella - an ornamental object shaped like a ship.)
 FIBULAE (SAFETY PIN) -

Bronze bow-type fibula (safety pin) Silver navicella-type fibula

early 7th century Gold pin
5th century B.C.

The bow is hollow. On its upper surface is a Pins ornamented with the method of
punched circle. The head is formed by a spiral of granulation and filigree.
two turns.
 RINGS -
Gold and banded carnelian ring: on scarab
bezel, a youth
early 5th century B.C.
Ring with scarab (a representation or image of a
beetle, much used among the ancient Egyptians as
a symbol, seal, amulet, or the like) from a tomb
group allegedly from Vulci, one of the richest and
most impressive sets of Etruscan jewelry ever
found.
Gold ring
late 4th or early 3rd century B.C.
This large gold ring is one of 43 objects in the museum's
collection from a single tomb discovered near Bolsena, north of
Rome. While the ring no longer has the gem that once filled its
sizeable ovoid bezel, it is inscribed on either side with the
Etruscan word SUTHINA, indicating that this object was dedicated
as a tomb offering. The words were not etched into the ring but
rather were formed by a series of small, discrete punched dots.
This item of jewelry, along with a number of the other objects in
the tomb, probably belonged to the deceased in life and was then
marked accordingly upon his or her death.
 RINGS -
Gold ring: on bezel, lion
early 5th century B.C
Ring with intaglio of a lion from a tomb group
allegedly from Vulci, one of the richest and most
impressive sets of Etruscan jewelry ever found.
Gold ring with embossed satyr masks: on carnelian
intaglio, bird
early 5th century B.C
Ring with satyr and bird intaglio from a tomb
group allegedly from Vulci, one of the richest and
most impressive sets of Etruscan jewelry ever
found.
 EARRINGS -
Gold earrings with pendant vase and ring
4th–3rd century B.C.
Hollow gold earrings with a tubular element,
covered with an elaborate floral ornament in
repoussé. The pendant rings enclose tiny vases
that may have contained perfume. This is the
finest pair of Etruscan gold earrings with
pendant rings in the Museum's collection.
Gold and enamel a baule earring
6th century B.C.
This earring represents one of the most common types in Etruscan
jewelry but with exceptionally elaborate embellishment. The
curved body consists of two metopes, both of which contain floral
ornaments. The flower at the top was made separately and
attached; the more stylized motif below was made of wire fused
to the underlying surface. The very top of the object preserves two
heads showing women wearing tiny disk earrings inlaid with
enamel; there will originally have been a third. Immediately below
is a band of tongues in alternately lighter and darker blue enamel.
The whole conception is markedly architectonic, on the one hand,
and executed with the most delicate means, on the other.
 EARRINGS -

Gold earrings with pendant vase and ring Gold boat-shaped earrings
4th century B.C. 4th–3rd century B.C.
Amphora shaped pendant enclosed in a ring.
Decorated with filigree and point granulation.
(Amphora - a tall ancient Greek or Roman jar or
jug with two handles and a narrow neck. )
 NECKLACES -

Gold and glass necklace

early 5th century B.C.
Terracotta necklace with palmette and
Gold mounted glass beads alternating with lotus pendants
pendants from a tomb group allegedly from 3rd century B.C.
Vulci, one of the richest and most impressive sets
of Etruscan jewelry ever found. Terracotta jewelry represents an inexpensive substitute
for pieces in precious metals. The pendants would have
been produced in large numbers through the use of molds,
thus reducing the cost of both labor and material.
 WREATH -

Gold funerary wreath Gold funerary wreath

4th–3rd century B.C. 4th–3rd century B.C.
Gold funerary wreath of leaves, rosette in center
Flower with leaves mounted on thin plate.
and figure of owl embossed on each end
 culture and
modern media
 LANGUAGE

Etruscan, the third great language of culture in Italy after Greek and Latin, does not
survive in any literary works.

An Etruscan religious literature did exist, and evidence suggests that there may have
been a body of historical literature and drama as well.Etruscan had ceased to be
spoken in the time of imperial Rome, though it continued to be studied by priests and
scholars.

The emperor Claudius (died 54 CE) wrote a history of the Etruscans in 20 books, now
lost, which was based on sources still preserved in his day.

The language continued to be used in a religious context until late antiquity; the final
record of such use relates to the invasion of Rome by Alaric, chief of the Visigoths, in
410 CE,
 LANGUAGE

Of the longer inscriptions, the most important is the “Zagreb mummy wrapping,” found in
Egypt in the 19th century and carried back to Yugoslavia by a traveler (National Museum,
Zagreb). It had originally been a book of linen cloth, which at some date was cut up into
strips to be wrapped around a mummy. With about 1,300 words, written in black ink on the
linen, it is the longest existing Etruscan text; it contains a calendar and instructions for
sacrifice, sufficient to give some idea of Etruscan religious literature.
 RELIGION

The religion of the Etruscans was polytheistic with gods for all those important places,
objects, ideas, and events, which were thought to affect or control everyday life.

At the head of the pantheon was Tin, there were all sorts of other gods such as
Thanur, the goddess of birth; Aita, god of the Underworld; and Usil, the Sun god. The
national Etruscan god seems to have been Veltha (aka Veltune or Voltumna) who was
closely associated with vegetation.

The two main features of the religion were augury (reading omens from birds and
weather phenomena like lightning strikes) and haruspicy (examining the entrails of
sacrificed animals to divine future events, especially the liver).

Priests would consult a body of (now lost) religious texts called the Etrusca disciplina.
The texts were based on knowledge given to the Etruscans by two divinities: the wise
infant Tages, grandson of Tin, and the nymph Vegoia (Vecui).
 RELIGION

Ceremonies as animal sacrifices, the pouring of blood into the ground, and music and dancing
usually occurred outside temples built in honour of particular gods.

Ordinary people would leave offerings at these temple sites to thank the gods for a service
done or in the hope of receiving one in the near future.

Other offerings were, besides foodstuffs, typically in the form of inscribed pottery vessels
and figurines or bronze statuettes of humans and animals.

The presence of both precious and everyday objects in Etruscan tombs is an indicator of a
belief in the afterlife which they considered a continuation of the person's life in this world.

If the wall paintings in many tombs are an indicator, then the next life, at least for those
occupants, started with a family reunion and rolled on to an endless round of pleasant
banquets, games, dancing, and music.
 SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Etruscan society had various levels of social status from foreigners and slaves to women and
male citizens. Males of certain clan groups seem to have dominated key roles in the areas
ofpolitics, religion and justice and one's membership of a clan was likely more important than
even which city one came from.

Etruscan art and especially those tombs with wall paintings reveal other layers of society.

We can deduce, then, from this pictorial evidence and the presence of manufactured goods
within the tombs that Etruscan society consisted of slaves, artisans, metalworkers, potters, the
tomb painters themselves, those who worked the land (including serfs) and kept animals
(whether for themselves or an estate owner), merchants, administrators, a priesthood, and an
aristocracy.

Further, art can also reveal social attitudes, as for example, in the convention of depicting
slaves in wall paintings as of smaller stature than citizens. Similarly, elite members of society
were easily identified in real life from the mass of ordinary citizens by their particular
clothes, hats, and various staffs of authority.
 SOCIAL STRUCTURE

At the top of the Etruscan social ladder were the royals. Inheriting their right to the throne,
the early kings also performed a religious function in a culture where religion and politics
were not separated.

Kings were recognised by various symbols and insignia such as an ivory throne or stool, a
sceptre topped by an eagle, the fasces symbol of axe and rods, and a purple robe; all of
which would later be adopted by the Romans
.
The early government of the Etruscan cities was based on a monarchy but later developed
into rule by an oligarchy who supervised and dominated all public positions.

The wealth of these individuals was based on land ownership and trade.

They voted for a leader amongst themselves, the princeps civitatis, to hold office for one year
and, with him, various magistrates to perform public duties, perhaps represent the interests of
certain sections of society, and to dispense justice.
 BANQUET

In Etruscan daily life, the banquet was very much a status symbol,

Certainly in the heyday of the Etruscan league, around the seventh century BCE a
wide reaching trading network. As a result of all this, life for the rich Etruscans was
extremely pleasant.

Lavish receptions were laid on, in which the guests; men and women of high social
standing, reclined on couches waited on by numerous servants, and were entertained
by musicians and dancers

The tables were covered with elaborately embroidered table cloths, on to which the
various dinner courses were arranged.

The dishes included generous selections of fish such as Tuna, and meats such as
hare, deer and birds (Wild boar was a particular favourite).

Grapes were originally native to the Arabian peninsula, but widely grown by the
beginning of the first millennium BCE. The Etruscans probably introduced grapes and
wine to Italy around the 9th Century BCE.
BANQUET
 MUSIC

What we know of Etruscan music comes to us from the impressions and feelings gained
from the many tomb illustrations, or from the mysterious inscriptions on sarcophagus lids.
Most writers believe, based on the absence of musical manuscripts, that the Etruscans seem to
have more of an oral rather than a written musical tradition.

Music accompanied both work and leisure activities.s. It featured during sporting competitions,
and military drills, during hunting as well as providing background ambience during the
banquets.

But this music was played not only during the meal itself , but also while the food was being
prepared and of course during the long convivial drinking sessions spent after meals (the
origin of the term SYMPOSIUM).

During the funeral ceremony, the sweet inviting sound of the Auleta (flute) and lyre, would
lighten the atmosphere of the banquet, persuading participants to dance.
 WOMEN

Etruscan women, whether married or unmarried, were famously free. Further, records
show that Etruscan women were literate and enjoyed greater legal rights, too.

In Etruria, a woman could inherit family property if there were no surviving male line.
Property ownership and the right to drink wine is additionally proven by graffiti on
pottery vessels which tell of a female owner.

There is also a variety of imagery depicting themes and myths pertaining to marriage and
childbirth, especially on bronze handheld mirrors, which were popular gifts for women to
mark the occasion of marriage and childbirth.

In Etruria, there are also examples of priestesses buried together in the same tomb rather
than with their families of origin, as at the Tomb of the Inscriptions at Vulci. This kind of
eternal sisterhood is fascinating and also unusual in the ancient world.

They took part in public events,

participated in councils and in nude athletics. The liberty of Etruscan
women was notorious among the Greeks and Romans, who were
scandalized at the liberty they enjoyed.
 WOMEN

Grave goods buried with females from all periods show their important societal role as
weavers, but there are even large grandiose tombs built specifically for a female occupant,
the mid-7th century BCE Regolini-Galassi tomb at Cerveteri being the best example.
 ETRUSCAN WOMEN AS PORTAYED
BY GREEKS AND ROMANS

Greek men interpreted Etruscan women’s liberty as looseness, because of severe

restraints on females in their own society.

They projected
absolute sexual licence onto Etruscan women, in a pattern dubbed “topsy-turvy”
world, in which Hellenes projected absolute reversals of their own social codes
onto peoples they saw as Others.

Theopompos ran this female freedom through his own Hellenic framework that
put men at the centre :

Sharing wives is an established Etruscan custom. Etruscan women take

particular care of Etruscan women take particular care of their bodies and
exercise often, sometimes along with the men, and sometimes by themselves. It is
not a disgrace for them to be seen naked. They do not share their [banquet]
couches with their husbands but with the other men whohappen to be present,
and they propose toasts to anyone they choose. They are expert drinkers and
very
attractive. The Etruscans raise all the children that are born, without knowing
who their fathers are.
[Theopompos],
 ETRUSCAN WOMEN AS PORTAYED
BY GREEKS AND ROMANS
The stereotype of licentious Etruscan women persisted among the Romans.
Plautus had a character
in one of his plays make a crack about it: “to earn a dowry the way the
Etruscans do, by selling your body.”

He may have been recycling the claim that Herodotus made about Lydian
women.

Some Roman writers, writing four centuries after the fact, portrayed powerful
Etruscan women in an intensely
negative light.

They were the opposite of properly modest females. Livy excoriated Tullia, wife
of Tarquinius Superbus, blaming her for his crimes. But he praised the modest
Lucretia, whose rape by the last king of Rome
brought down the Tarquinian dynasty.
 INFLUENCE ON
ROMAN CULTURE

Etruscan influence on ancient Roman culture was profound and it was from the Etruscans
that the Romans inherited many of their own cultural and artistic traditions.

Evidence suggests that it was the Etruscans who taught the Romans the alphabet and
numerals, along with many elements of architecture, art, religion, and dress.

The toga was an Etruscan invention, and the Etruscan-style Doric column (rather than the
Greek version) became a mainstay of architecture of both the Renaissance and the later
Classical revival.

Etruscan influence on the ancient theatre survives in their word for “masked man,” phersu,
which became persona in Latin and person in English. ‘Phersu’-- the frightful, masked
figure you see in an Early Etruscan tomb painting was said to be the influence behind the
gladiators of Rome.
 INFLUENCE ON
ROMAN CULTURE

Wall painting from the Etruscan Tomb of the Augurs at Tarquinia. The scene depicts
the figure Phersu, a masked man from multiple Etruscan myths. He leads a "game" in
which a man is sent against a dog with a club and a fabric wrapped around his face.
Phersu leads him by a string as he bleeds from multiple wounds, as a form of
religious bloodletting.
 Modern Media

Schiaparelli’s ‘Etruscan’ dress of 1936 was inspired by an ancient sculpture. Two

circular roundels worked in trapunto quilting over the bust mirroring the high divided
breasts of Etruscan female sculptures and a Etruscan coin inspired button has been
used with a horse on it.
 Modern Media

Haizhen Wang S/S 2013. The headpiece resembles the Etruscan

Tutulus a high crowned, small brimmed hat
 Modern Media

Modern Tebenna inspired by Custo Barcelona Fall 2013

 Modern Media

Nikhil Thampi 2012 similar to the Tebenna/ Himation draped around and
hangs in back
 Modern Media

Park Choon Moo spring 2012 RTW- It Alberta Ferretti Spring 2008, This is
was a modern take on the Etruscan a modern take on what a toga would
Tebanna which was a round mantle look like over a tunic
 Modern Media

Zuhair Murad Fall 2013-

Vionnet Fall 2013 Couture-
This gown resembles a toga pulla which is a
The gown is a modern take on a toga
black or dark coloured toga that was said to
have been worn for mourning
with tunic showing underneath
Etruscans- A Mystery
Lack of Surviving Written Documents
Mystery Surrounding Origin
Assimilation into Roman Culture
Mussolini and Facism
Thank You
 AASTHA SONI
BUSHRA MARIYAM
GANJI JAHNAVI

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