Before the emergence of the Roman Empire, the Etruscans dominated much of what is now known as Italy. The civilization, which flourished between the 8th and 3rd century BCE, was gradually conquered by the Roman Republic, with much of its culture either obliterated or fully assimilated by 90 BCE. Despite this, Italy still boasts a tremendous amount of Etruscan artifacts, including newly discovered, 2,500-year-old wall paintings.
The vibrant paintings were unearthed earlier this month during an excavation of a tomb at the ancient Tarquinia necropolis. Scenes range from a group of people dancing beside a flautist and a woman—who researchers believe may be the deceased—next to two men. What renders these particular Etruscan paintings unique is a depiction of a metal workshop, suggesting that those who erected the tomb were metalworkers.
“The inclusion of a unique scene of smithy … allows us to have a glimpse of the economic sources of the wealth of this family, which was evidently involved in metal management business,” Daniele Federico Maras, director of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence and leader of the team that excavated the tomb, told Live Science.
Though the wall paintings remain intact, the tomb itself was likely looted, given that it bears no inscriptions, human remains, or grave goods. This tomb also sits beneath another tomb that already collapsed, adding to its poor state of preservation.
“Around 6,500 tombs have been identified and classified at Tarquinia, and [about] 200 of them had painted decoration,” Maras continues. “However, only several tens have figural decoration, with scenes including banqueting, dances, sports, myths, and the underworld.”
Further analysis of these wall paintings is still ongoing, with archaeologists hoping to use multispectral imaging technologies in an effort to determine which colors have been lost to or faded with time.
Vivid wall paintings were recently discovered in a 2,500-year-old Etruscan tomb at the ancient Tarquinia necropolis in central Italy.
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Sources: Etruscan Civilization; 2,500-year-old painted tomb with ‘unique scene of smithy’ discovered at Etruscan necropolis in Italy; Vivid Wall Paintings Unearthed at a 2,500-Year-Old Etruscan Necropolis in Italy
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