The Tomb of Orcus ( it, Tomba dell'Orco), sometimes called the Tomb of Murina ( it, Tomba dei Murina), is a 4th-century BC Etruscan hypogeum (burial chamber) in Tarquinia, Italy. Discovered in 1868, it displays

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

influences in its remarkable murals, which include the portrait of Velia Velcha, an Etruscan noblewoman, and the only known pictorial representation of the demon

Tuchulcha In Etruscan mythology, Tuchulcha was a chthonic daemon (not to be confused with the Christian term "demon") with pointed ears (perhaps those of a donkey), and hair made of snakes and a beak (perhaps that of a vulture). Tuchulcha lived in the under ...

. In general, the murals are noted for their depiction of death, evil, and unhappiness. Because the tomb was built in two sections at two stages, it is sometimes referred to as the ''Tombs of Orcus I'' and ''II''; it is believed to have belonged to the Murina family, an offshoot of the Etruscan

Spurinna Spurinna may refer to: * Titus Vestricius Spurinna (c. 24–after 105 AD), two-time Roman consul and friend of Pliny the Younger * Members of the gens Spurinnia * Spurinna, a haruspex who warned Julius Caesar about the Ides of March The Ides o ...

e. The foundation is inscribed with the following enigmatic phrase:

History

Orcus I was built between 470 and 450 BC (perhaps by a man named Leive; see below); a separate hypogeum, Orcus II, was built c. 325 BC. At some point in antiquity the wall between the two was removed, creating a large tomb with two dromes (entrances). The tomb was excavated in 1868 by an officer of the French Army. Upon its discovery, the excavator mistook the painting of a cyclops for the Roman god Orcus (see below), hence the name "Tomb of Orcus". The Italian name (''Tomba dell'Orco'') can also mean "Tomb of the Ogre", and it is used that way in Italy today. The second tomb has never been fully excavated.

Murals

Though most of the walls are muraled, the artists did not complete the ceiling. A scientific analysis in 2001 revealed that the paint used contained cinnabar,

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

, orpiment,

calcite Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...

, copper, and Egyptian blue. While the artwork in Orcus I is highly praised (particularly the painting of Velia Velcha; see below), some of the artwork of Orcus II is considered poorly done. It is likely that the French excavators of the tomb tried to remove some of the murals for exhibition in the Louvre, which resulted in significant deterioration.

Orcus I

The Tomb of Orcus I (also known as the Tomb of Velcha) was constructed between 470 and 450 BC. The main and right walls depict a banquet, believed to be the Spurinnae after their death in the Battle of Syracuse. The banqueters are surrounded by demons who serve as cupbearers. One of the banqueters is a noblewoman named Velia Velcha (or by some interpretations, Velia Spurinna), whose portrait has been called the " Mona Lisa of

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

". Her realistic profile (especially her eye) bears the influence of

art. Unlike the Mona Lisa, however, she is noted for her

grimace Grimace may refer to: *A type of facial expression usually of disgust, disapproval, or pain *Grimace (composer), a French composer active in the mid-to-late 14th century *Grimace (character) McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the ...

or sneer.

Orcus II

The Tomb of Orcus II (sometimes distinguished as ''the'' Tomb of Orcus) was constructed around 325 BC. Its entrance is guarded by paintings of " Charun" (

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon (; grc, Χάρων) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades, the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the wo ...

), the keeper of the underworld, and a

cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

(possibly Polyphemus or

Geryon In Greek mythology, Geryon ( or ;"Geryon"
''

Orcus (hence the tomb's name). The back wall depicts a funeral procession overseen by " Aita" (

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

), the Etruscan god of the underworld, and his wife "Phersipnei" ( Persephone). The left wall is believed to depict Agamemnon, Tiresias, and Ajax in the underworld. "These" ( Theseus) and the Etruscan equivalent of Pirithous are seated at a table on the right wall, playing a board game, where they are threatened by the Etruscan

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

", who is pictured with pointed ears, a hairy face, and a hooked beak, wielding snakes in his hands. The tomb is unique in that it bears the only known historical portrayal of this demon.

Inscription

An inscription in the foundation of the tomb reads as follows:

LARΘIALE HVLΧNIESI MARCESIC CALIAΘESI MVNSLE NACNVAIASI ΘAMCE LE…

This has come to be understood as:

Larthiale Hulchniesi Marcesi Caliathesi munisule nacnvaiasi thamuce Le…

The names "Larthiale Hulchniesi" and "Marcesi Caliathesi" are in the dative case, and thus mean "for/to Larth Hulchnie" and "for/to Marce *Caliathe" respectively; "nacnvaiasi" is also dative, from the Etruscan noun ''nacnvaia'', "those who come next" (i.e., posterity); the noun "mun e" refers to any underground monument (and not exclusively to tombs); the verb "tham e" means "established"; the final "Le…" is the Etruscan letters LE clipped off, though a portion of the next letter is visible, sometimes interpreted as an "i"; the entire name "Leive" has been suggested. The phrase then translates:

Le veerected this monument to Larth Hulchnie and Marce Caliathe for posterity.

Larth Hulchnie is believed to have been the magistrate of Tarquinia in the 4th century BC, and Marce Caliathe is believed to have been his "representative". Whether the transcription means, however, that Larth Hulchnie and Marce Caliathe were buried in the tomb is debated, especially since they were not Spurinnae; most scholars believe that the monument was simply dedicated to the magistrates. Etruscologists Giuliano and Larissa Bonfante have suggested that the passage is incomplete and would have originally specified "during the magistracy" of Hulchnie and Caliathe (confer ''zilci Velusi Hulchniesi'', "during the magistracy of Velu Hulchnie", found elsewhere in the tomb). According to this interpretation, the phrase would translate:

Le veerected this monument for posterity uring the magistracyof Larth Hulchnie and Marce Caliathe.

"Marce" is probably a

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...

or preform of "

Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl� ...

". "Hulchnie" is generally interpreted as the Roman

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

" Fulcinius", and "Larth" is believed to be akin to the Greek name " Laertēs"; some have suggested that ''Larth Hulchnie'' means "Hulchnie, son of Larth".

References

External links

Official website of the Tomb of Orcus
{{Coord, 42, 14, 48, N, 11, 46, 48, E, region:IT-VT_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Buildings and structures completed in the 4th century BC 1868 archaeological discoveries Orcus Women and death