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The Tomb of the Dancers or Tomb of the Dancing Women ( it, Tomba delle Danzatrici) is a Peucetian tomb in
The Tomb of the Dancers or Tomb of the Dancing Women ( it, Tomba delle Danzatrici) is a Peucetian tomb in Ruvo di Puglia
''"Ruvo died to revive, like the Phoenix of Heliopolis, from the ashes of itself"''
Ruvo di Puglia (; nap, label= Ruvese, Rìuve ) is a city and '' comune (municipality)'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari in Apulia, southern Italy. It is a ve ...
, Italy. It was discovered in the Corso Cotugno necropolis in November 1833. The date of its construction is uncertain, dates ranging from the end of the fifth century BC to the mid-fourth century BC have been proposed. In any case, the tomb's frescoes are the oldest example of figurative painting in Apulia, together with another tomb in Gravina di Puglia
Gravina in Puglia (; nap, label=Bari dialect, Barese, Gravéine ; la, Silvium; grc, Σιλούϊον, Siloúïon) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy.
The word ''gravina'' comes from the Latin ''gra ...
. The Peucetians borrowed the practice of painting tombs from the Etruscans
The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...
, who had an important influence on their culture. The tomb is named after the dancing women which appear on the frescoes in the tomb. The panels with the frescoes are now exhibited in the Naples National Archaeological Museum, inv. 9353.
Description
The tomb has a semichamber design. Its six painted panels depict thirty or more dancing women, moving from left to right with arms interlocked as though they were dancing a circle around the interior of the tomb. They are dressed in chitons and cloaks and have brightly colored veils on their head. There are three men in the group, distinguished by their white clothes. One of them holds a lyre. The skeletal remains of the deceased in the tomb clearly belonged to a distinguished male warrior. He was dressed in a helmet,greave
A greave (from the Old French ''greve'' "shin, shin armour") or jambeau is a piece of armour that protects the leg.
Description
The primary purpose of greaves is to protect the tibia from attack. The tibia, or shinbone, is very close to the ski ...
s and shield. Next to his right arm were spears and daggers. The grave goods included different types of ceramic pottery. These consisted of krater
A krater or crater ( grc-gre, , ''kratēr'', literally "mixing vessel") was a large two-handled shape of vase in Ancient Greek pottery and metalwork, mostly used for the mixing of wine with water.
Form and function
At a Greek symposium, krat ...
s, amphorae, kantharoi and some oil lamp
An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. Th ...
s. They were arranged on the ground and hung from the lower sections of the walls. The pottery had symbolic and funerary significance.
See also
*Etruscan architecture
Etruscan architecture was created between about 900 BC and 27 BC, when the expanding civilization of ancient Rome finally absorbed Etruscan civilization. The Etruscans were considerable builders in stone, wood and other materials of temples, hou ...
* Etruscan art
Etruscan art was produced by the Etruscan civilization in central Italy between the 10th and 1st centuries BC. From around 750 BC it was heavily influenced by Greek art, which was imported by the Etruscans, but always retained distinct characte ...
* Italic peoples
The Italic peoples were an ethnolinguistic group identified by their use of Italic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
The Italic peoples are descended from the Indo-European speaking peoples who inhabited Italy from at lea ...
* Tomb of the Augurs
* Tomb of the Bulls
* Tomb of the Diver
The Tomb of the Diver, located in Paestum, is known for the mysterious subject matter of the frescos adorning the walls. The origin of this tomb is somewhat mysterious as well. There has been scholarly debate about whether the tomb was built by a ...
* 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 ...
* 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 ...
References
Sources
* *External links
{{commons category 1833 archaeological discoveries Ruvo di Puglia Etruscan tombs