10.0: Chapter Introduction

Introduction: Technological Keys to (Re)Discovery

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Detail from the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing, 6th century BCE, wall painting in Tarquinia, Italy. (Photo: tutincommon, CC BY-NC 2.0) This ancient Etruscan fresco depicts a colorful scene of people on a boat fishing and people on land hunting for birds.

Mysterious. Curious. Puzzling. Enigmatic. These are all words often used to describe the Ancient Etruscans, whose distinctive language and culture caused the Greek historian Herodotus to theorize, as far back as 500 BCE, that they were migrants from Anatolia. Although they ruled much of present-day Italy long before the Roman Empire dominated the region, the Etruscans are relatively lesser-known to the general public—in large part because much of their culture is still veiled to historians as well. The Etruscans greatly influenced Rome (and some of Rome’s first kings were Etruscan speakers), but despite this, historians do not yet know as much about the Etruscans as they do about other nearby cultures. With new technological advances, however, that is starting to change. Researchers are using different technologies to examine remnants of Etruscan culture, in order to help shed light on this obscured history.

Using something called multi-illumination hyperspectral extraction (MHX), scientists have recently been able to reveal not only faded colors used in Etruscan frescoes and murals, but even long-hidden figures. The technique combines dozens of images using different bands of light, such as ultraviolet and infrared, and then processes all of these together to provide unique insights and color analyses into the works. In a wall mural known as the Tomb of the Monkey, all that could be seen with the naked eye was a blur of paint that had changed color over time, but MHX revealed a person carrying an object. It is possible that using this technology on more Etruscan art will lead to further insight into understanding their art and culture.

Other scientific advances have been made in the form of DNA research in the area, proving that the Etruscans were not mysterious migrants coming from distant lands, but in fact were genetically the same as their Latin neighbors. A team of geneticists, linguists, and archaeologists studied DNA taken from skeletons in Etruscan tombs and found that “the Etruscans were descended in part from Stone Age farmers who lived in Europe beginning around 6000 BCE.” Like their neighbors, the article continues, “by 1600 BCE the Etruscans seem to have absorbed an influx of new arrivals tracing their ancestry back to the open grasslands, or steppes, of modern-day Russia and Ukraine.” However, instead of the migrants' new culture dominating, it seems that they acculturated to the Etruscan way of life. As historian and study co-author Michael McCormick asserts, “Almost everywhere else, these new people and new languages triumphed, along with their culture…Here, that didn’t happen: The old culture maintained itself and thrived.” As historians and scientists help shed light on the so-called “mysteries” of the Etruscans, their enduring appeal remains—and deepens.

Historiography (Writing History)

An Undeciphered Language and Buried History

Etruria, the land of the Etruscans, was in central Italy, between the Arno and Tiber rivers. Today, that region is called Tuscany, which echoes the name of those former inhabitants. The Tyrrhenian Sea also references them, via the name the Greeks called them--Tyrrhenoi, though they called themselves Rasenna.

They had a written language; their script is Greek-derived, and in turn, it influenced Latin. However, Etruscan is unrelated to other Indo-European languages and remains largely undeciphered, partly because the Romans suppressed the Etruscan language (and built over most of their architectural sites and ruins). That means that historians know significantly less about the Etruscans than they do about either the Greeks or the Romans—though art historians tend to remain interested in the Etruscans because of their relationships with Greece and with Rome. What is known most about the Etruscans comes from the many buried objects that they left behind, particularly in tombs. In addition to unique Etruscan art found in burials, there were also Greek objects, giving us insight into their relationship with Greece too. And many of their urban architectural developments, such as roads, water diversion channels, and sewage systems, serve as influential predecessors to Rome’s notable urban planning feats.

Chapter Overview

Although the Etruscans are less familiar to many than the Greeks and Romans, this culture provides a sort of bridge between the two, because the Etruscans valued Greek culture and in turn strongly influenced Roman culture. However, Etruscan art is not an imitation of Greek art, but is its own distinct and fascinating product. This chapter is divided into two basic sections: Early Etruscan Art and Later Etruscan Art. The former is further divided into two periods that echo ones recently covered in Greece: Proto-Archaic and Archaic. Although the period names are the same in Greek and Etruscan art, Etruscan art has its own separate and distinctive character.

This chapter covers a range of art from the ancient Etruscans. Given that much of the bustling Etruscan cities and settlements were built upon time and time again, many of the remnants of their culture remain buried under layers of additional cultures.

Objects overview

This chapter includes a wide range of tombs and burial complexes—all of which act as time capsules offering insight into Ancient Etruscan culture, rituals, and beliefs—in addition to masterful terracotta sculptures, jewelry, and vessels, including:

• a now-famous, intricate gold relief fibula from Regolini Galassi’s tomb in Cerveteri from mid-seventh century BCE
• large-scale terracotta figures like Aplu (Apollo of Veii), which graced temple rooftops, creating a theater in the sky
• the lively and expressive terracotta Sarcophagus of the Spouses
• Tomb of the Reliefs decorated in painted stucco
• Chimera of Arezzo, made with the lost-wax process and more recently judged as a forgery of Etruscan art
• Aule Metele (Arringatore) from Cortona, Italy

By the time you finish reading this chapter on Ancient Etruscan art, you should be able to:

• Identify works of Etruscan art and examine the possible origins of Etruscan art and culture
• Differentiate between Etruscan and Greek art and architecture
• Describe ways in which Etruscan art influenced Roman art
• Compare the social and funerary customs of the Etruscans with those of other cultures

Want to know more?

Here are some additional resources you can explore to further your understanding of the art discussed in this chapter.

• David Kindy, “Where Did the Etruscans Come From?” for Smithsonian Magazine.
• Andrew Curry, “They may have founded Rome, then vanished. New work sheds light on the mysterious Etruscans,” for Science Magazine.
• “The origin and legacy of the Etruscans through a 2000-year archeogenomic time transect,” for Science Advances.
• Owen Jarus, “Hidden Scenes in ancient Etruscan Paintings Revealed,” for LiveScience
• Etruscanning 3D blog, "A Mysterious Fibula"
• Google Maps, Cerveteri Necropolis (check out Street View)
• Etruscanning Project blog and video tour
• Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia (formerly Cornetto) on Google Arts & Culture
• Boundless Art History, "Early Etruscan Art" and "Later Etruscan Art"
• Timothy John Burbery, "Dinosaur bones became griffins, volcanic eruptions were gods fighting – geomythology looks to ancient stories for hints of scientific truth," in The Conversation
• Adrienne Mayor and Michael Heaney, "Griffins and Arimaspeans," in Folklore