The Monterozzi necropolis ( it, Necropoli dei Monterozzi) is an

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

necropolis on a hill east of

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status ...

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The necropolis has about 6,000 graves, the oldest of which dates to the 7th century BC. About 200 of the tomb chambers are decorated with frescos. The painted tombs of the necropolis are the largest documentation of Etruscan pictorial art, and they are singular testaments to Etruscans' quotidian life, ceremonies, and

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

. Some of the tombs are monumental, cut in rock and topped by

tumuli A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

, accessible by means of inclined corridors or stairways. Many different subjects are shown in the frescos, including rituals, animals, magical themes, dance and musical instruments. The best known tombs are the

Tomb of the Leopards The Tomb of the Leopards (Italian: ''Tomba dei Leopardi'') is an Etruscan burial chamber so called for the confronted leopards painted above a banquet scene. The tomb is located within the Necropolis of Monterozzi, near Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy ...

, of Hunting and Fishing, of the

Augurs An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. Determinations were based upon whether they were flying in ...

, of the

Triclinium A ''triclinium'' (plural: ''triclinia'') is a formal dining room in a Roman building. The word is adopted from the Greek ()—from (), "three", and (), a sort of couch or rather chaise longue. Each couch was sized to accommodate a diner who ...

, the Blue Demons and of the Bulls. Many of the artifacts found in the necropolis and some of the frescos have been brought to the neighboring

Tarquinia National Museum The Tarquinia National Museum ( it, Museo Archeologico Nazionale Tarquiniense) is an archaeological museum dedicated to the Etruscan civilization in Tarquinia, Italy. Its collection consists primarily of the artifacts which were excavated from th ...

in order to preserve them. The paintings and wall decorations of the Tomb of the Baron, discovered in 1827, were also reproduced on the walls of the so-called Etruscan Cabinet in the Castle of Racconigi. Along with the Banditaccia Necropolis, Monterozzi was designated as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 2004, notable as "''the depiction of daily life in the frescoed tombs, many of which are replicas of Etruscan houses, is a unique testimony to this vanished culture''".

Description

The burial ground dates from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

, or

Villanovan The Villanovan culture (c. 900–700 BC), regarded as the earliest phase of the Etruscan civilization, was the earliest Iron Age culture of Italy. It directly followed the Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture which branched off from the Urnfield ...

period (9th century BC), up to Roman times. From the Villanovan period simple round tombs carved from rock for cremation burials can be seen at the site. Towards the end of the 8th century BC, the first funerary chambers appeared as family tombs due to the rise to power of an aristocracy. These appeared on the surface as

, sometimes assuming impressive proportions to enhance the power and prestige of the nobles, as can be seen especially in the so-called King and Queen tombs. There were about 600 tumuli still visible in the 19th century, following which many were razed after excavation. The tumuli usually covered subterranean chambers carved into the rock, containing

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

and personal possessions of the deceased, and many of which have wall paintings. The earliest sarcophagi are carved with the image of the deceased supine on the lid. The later and more numerous types show him or her reclining on the left side, facing the spectator and frequently holding a libation vessel; occasionally a man displays an inscribed scroll listing his ancestry and the magisterial offices he occupied. During the second half of the 4th century BC sculpted and painted sarcophagi of

nenfro Nenfro is a volcanic rock, gray tuff or banded trachyte (Brocchi) or leucite phonolite lava (Rosenbusch) with a soft but compact structure, typical of the Viterbo region that the Etruscans used in their sculptures of northern Lazio Cimini hills ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

and

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

came into use. They were deposited on rock-carved benches or against the walls in the now very large underground chambers. Sarcophagi were also decorated with reliefs of symbolic or mythological content, often derived from Tarentine models. Sarcophagi of this type, which continue until the second century, are found in such numbers at Tarquinia that they must have been manufactured locally. The walls of the tomb-chambers of the late period are painted with underworld demons escorting the dead on their journey to the beyond, scenes in the nether world, processions of magistrates and other symbols of the rank of the eminent members of the families buried there. Among the most notable painted tombs famous for the artistic quality of their frescoes are: *the

has some of the best preserved frescoes *the

Tomb of the Augurs The Tomb of the Augurs (Italian ''Tomba degli Àuguri'') is an Etruscan burial chamber so called because of a misinterpretation of one of the fresco figures on the right wall thought to be a Roman priest known as an augur. The tomb is located w ...

*the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing *the

Tomb of the Triclinium The Tomb of the Triclinium ( it, Tomba del Triclinio) ). is an Etruscan tomb in the Necropolis of Monterozzi (near Tarquinia, Italy) dated to approximately 470 BC. The tomb is named after the Roman ''triclinium'', a type of formal dining ro ...

*the Tomb of the Blue Demons *the

Tomb of the Bulls The Tomb of the Bulls ( it, Tomba dei Tori) is an Etruscan tomb in the Necropolis of Monterozzi near Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy. It was discovered in 1892 and has been dated back to either 540–530 BC or 530–520 BC. According to an ins ...

, the earliest tomb decorated with complex frescoes dated to either 540–530 BC or 530–520 BC. It is one of the rare Etruscan tombs which have erotic frescoes *the

Tomb of the Whipping The Tomb of the Whipping ( it, Tomba della Fustigazione) is an Etruscan tomb in the Necropolis of Monterozzi near Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy. It is dated to approximately 490 BC and named after a fresco of two men who flog a woman in an eroti ...

. It is also one of the rare Etruscan tombs which have erotic frescoes. *the Tomb of Orcus is notable for having the only known pictorial depiction of the Etruscan

daemon Daimon or Daemon (Ancient Greek: , "god", "godlike", "power", "fate") originally referred to a lesser deity or guiding spirit such as the daimons of ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology and of later Hellenistic religion and Hell ...

Tuchulcha *the Tomb of the Bigas

Gallery

File:Monterozzi Necropolis Villanovan period tombs AvL.JPG, Villanovan period tombs for cremation burials File:I Tumuli della Doganaccia - Museo archeologico nazionale tarquiniense Tarquinia 06.JPG, Tumuli File:CabaneFustigMonterozzi.jpg, Entrance to the

Entrance to an Etruscan tomb in Tarquinia Italy.jpg, Entrance to a tomb File:Tomb of Anina Tarquinia.jpg, Tomb of Anina File:Tomb of the augurs.jpg,

Etruskischer Meister 002.jpg,

Ambito greco-orientale, tomba della caccia e pesca, 520-510 ac ca. 05.jpg, Tomb of Hunting and Fishing File:Tomb of the Bulls back wall main chamber.jpg,

Etruscan mural achilles Troilus.gif, Tomb of the Bulls File:Etruscan mural typhon2.jpg, Mural of

Typhon Typhon (; grc, Τυφῶν, Typhôn, ), also Typhoeus (; grc, Τυφωεύς, Typhōeús, label=none), Typhaon ( grc, Τυφάων, Typháōn, label=none) or Typhos ( grc, Τυφώς, Typhṓs, label=none), was a monstrous serpentine giant an ...

File:Tomba del guerriero, 1430-400 ac ca. 01.jpg, Tomb of the Warrior Tomba Bartoccini SAM 3961.JPG, Tomb Bartoccini File:Tomba della fustigazione, 490 ac ca. 01.jpg,

File:Tomba dei giocolieri, 510 ac ca. 02.jpg, Tomb of the Jugglers File:Tomba bettini (5513), 450 ac ca. 03 simposio.jpg, Tomb Claudio Bettini File:Tomba_del_gorgoneion,_400_ac_ca._02.jpg, Tomb of the Gorgoneion File:Brocca a tre colli, dalla tomba di bocchoris a monterozzi, 700-690 ac ca.jpg, Three-necked jug from the Bocchoris tomb (

) File:Pendenti di collana con divinità egizie, dalla tomba di bocchoris a monterozzi, 700-690 ac ca.jpg, Necklace pendants with Egyptian gods (Tarquinia National Museum) File:Oinochoe a forma di toro con orecchini, dalla tomba di bocchoris a monterozzi, 700-690 ac ca.jpg, Bull-shaped oenochoe with earrings (Tarquinia National Museum) File:Olla su alto sostegno, con figura umana come manico del coperchio, dalla tomba di bocchoris a monterozzi, 700-690 ac ca. 01.jpg, Olla on high support, with a human figure as lid handle (Tarquinia National Museum)

References

External links

Museum and Necropolis of Tarquinia and Cerveteri Official websiteMonterozzi necropolis - Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell'Etruria Meridionale

Photos inside the tombs
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Lazio Cemeteries in Italy Etruscan tombs World Heritage Sites in Italy Tumuli Villanovan culture Necropoleis

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links