Time Period 6 - Etruscan Art

Ancient Etruria - 700 B.C. - 200 B.C.

Little cultural information was recorded by the Etruscans, who identified themselves as Rasenna. They were called Tusci or Etrusci by their Roman neighbors. According to Herodotus, a Classical Greek historian, they left their homeland of Lydia in Asia Minor and settled in the area of Tuscany between Florence and Rome around 700 B.C. They were a maritime people, often recorded in Classic Greek writings as pirates, but their remaining artifacts suggest that they were important traders.

Until 300 B.C., they controlled much of central Italy, a region called Etruria. Many of their original towns are now a part of the present-day cities near the region of Tuscany. The Etruscans never became a unified power. Instead, unity was based on religious rather than political ties. A king, or "Lucumon," ruled each city-state. This society comprised the nobility, common people, and slaves. The separate city-states eventually proved weak. By the end of the third century, Rome had conquered all that was inhabited by them. Ruthlessly, the Roman aggressors destroyed many of the cities: Veii in 396 B.C.; Volisinii in 280 B.C.; and Falerii in 241 B.C. A few cities, who had surrendered in good will, were absorbed peacefully into the Roman State, as Caere in 351 B.C.

Take a side trip - visit the Old Town of Vulci.

The Etruscan culture created the most advanced civilization in Italy before the rise of the Romans. Their overall development was considered to be about a century behind the Greeks, coinciding with the Archaic Period (600-500 B.C.). The Etruscans were highly skilled at the making of bronze, which the Greeks greatly admired. They developed many independent styles and produced artworks that had a distinctive Etruscan character.

The spontaneity and originality that characterized Etruscan art is strongly seen in their bronze and terra-cotta sculptures, and vivid tomb paintings. The monumental city walls and gateways surrounding Etruscan cities and the multi-chambered tombs and funerary sculpture reflect the high level of material wealth and power attained by the Etruscan world.

The Etruscans were avid writers, but the language (seen at right) has not yet been fully deciphered. It is thought to be an ancient form of the Greek alphabet.

What do you think? Join the Etruscan Language Discussion. What does the language tell?

Ancient Etruria Etruscan Art Historical & Cultural Architecture

A few structures remain:

It was the elaborate Etruscan tombs, not destroyed by the Romans, that gave an insight into Etruscan life. They believed in a form of life after death and were a highly superstitious people, surrounded by an intricate system of taboos and regulations. They believed themselves to be completely dominated by the will of their deities, unlike the Greeks who lived in unison with their gods. To the Etruscans, certain occurrences could be predicted or interpreted through the art of divination, which was the practice of finding specific signs by sacrificing animals. Tombs were cut into bedrock, then covered with a mound of dirt.


The Etruscan structures were built with wood and terra-cotta clay. The natural breakdown of these materials has left evidence only of foundations.

The temple was based on a specific plan. The cella was divided by interior walls into three rooms and set on a high platform or podium, which was approached by a broad flight of stairs at one end. The temple had a deep porch with one or two rows of wooden columns that supported a wooden entablature. These were at the front of the temple only, and did not form a peristyle as the Greek temple plan did.

The masonry of the city gates and fortifications for protection are much like those of the Greeks, although no direct influence is known.

Take a side trip - view again the fortification wall that surrounded the Old Town of Vulci.

Ancient Etruria Etruscan Art Historical & Cultural Painting

• Tomb and Funerary Art - Tarquinia
• Two Dancers from the Tomb of the Lioness - 480-470 B.C. - Tarquinia

The tombs that have survived were filled with a rich array of murals. The murals are flatly painted in a decorative style and are of either religious content or depictions of daily life.

Two Dancers (right) shows a pair of energetic dancers. The transparent garment of the woman on the left is particularly interesting because this characteristic appears only a few years later in the vase painting of Greece. This flowing and graceful movement shows the Etruscan character of celebrating the beauty and energy of the body.

Ancient Etruria Etruscan Art Historical & Cultural Sculpture & Pottery

• Apollo from Veii - 510 B.C.
• Lion's Head - 400 B.C.
• Reclining Youth - 300 B.C.
• Youth and the Demon of Death - 300 B.C.
• Mars of Todi - 300 B.C.
• Votive Bust of a Woman - 200 B.C.
• Putto Carrara - 200 B.C.

It was in sculpture that the Etruscans best demonstrated their originality. From the earliest artwork, there was a strong emphasis on realistic portraiture, especially on the lids of sarcophagi, with the subject often depicted reclining on a couch, propped up by one elbow, such as the one above - Sarcophagus with couple on lid. The best preserved examples are portraits from the eaves or roofs of temples, called antefixes. Sculpture was created from terra-cotta, stone, and bronze. It was during the Archaic Period of Greece (600-500 B.C.) that Etruscan art showed its greatest development. In the Apollo (right) there is a feeling of musculature and strength that represented an interpretation of the figure that had not previously been accomplished. The drapery of Apollo reveals a massive body with a purposeful stride. This large, painted terra-cotta sculpture is the finest surviving piece.

The She-Wolf (left), or Capitoline Wolf, shows the same expression of power. Such expression of strength had no counterpart in Greek art during this time. The two infants are additions, later added during the time of the Renaissance. Take a side trip - The Etruscan Chimera. Take a close look, you will be using this in a future CREATE project.

After 400 B.C., sculpture became important on cinerary containers, holding the ashes of the deceased. This showed that views were changing about a life hereafter. On the container, Youth and the Demon of Death (right), a woman sits at the foot of the couch; her wings indicate that she is the demon of death. The scroll in her left hand records the fate of the deceased. Many artifacts from Etruria have survived. They include bronze containers, urns, mirrors, candlabra, gold jewelry, ivories, and chariots. This gallery displays the Orientalizing Period - 8th-6th c. B.C. Etruria played a major role in cultural and commercial contacts of the Mediterranean World. Take a side trip - Tour of the Vatican Gallery II. Tell me about your Tour of Vatican. It was the Roman Civilization that borrowed and copied the art of their neighbors. They developed systems of democratic rule by the people. They organized and lived life to the fullest......and it is also with the Roman Empire that the world influence changed to Christianity in the later years of this powerful time-period. It is to Rome that we go next, after we take one final look at the influences of Etruria.......and create a souvenir sculpture to take back home....

On this cinerary container, the young man points as if saying,"My time has come." Their faces reflect a melancholy expression; a certain sense of uncertainty that man's destiny is in the hands of supernatural forces. In later tombs, demons of death exhibited terrifying expressions, often in conflict with the protective spirits, vying for the possession of the soul of the deceased.

Aesthetics & Art Criticism

Name three examples of how the Etruscan civilization influenced future societies, both as a people and in its art? Complete this exam, Etruscan: Art Criticism.

Create

Create your own Chimera. Visit this site for more views of the Chimera. Don't forget to send your original Create project or a scanned image. When submitting digital work, upload it to your student folder by going to "My Tools," and then clicking on "Folders." Choose the file you want to upload. After uploading, scroll to the bottom of the page to make sure that it's associated with a specific assignment and MOST IMPORTANTLY that you "submit for grading." This triggers an e-mail to me that I have work to grade :)

Student Example

E-mail your Instructor that you have completed this time period.

We will now visit one of the greatest cultures of the world: Rome & the Roman Empire.

Go on to Time Period 7, Roman Art - 500 B.C. - 200 A.D.