Blog 2: Etruscan Influence

Yesterday we escaped the noise and bustle of Rome and traveled about an hour to the hillside town of Tarquinia. Being a small town girl, I loved it even more than Rome. We saw the Museo Nazionale Tarquiniense, which had many Etruscan artifacts, including many sarcophagi. We also visited the Necropolis and saw different tombs of the Etruscans. Etruscan art seemed reminiscent of other ancient civilizations (i.e. Greece, Egypt, and, of course, Rome).

The sarcophagi were mostly all topped with a figure of the deceased reclining as if they were at a dinner party. One was less damaged by time than the rest, with paint still visible on it. This one had the figure lying down, similar to the sarcophagi that were found in ancient Egypt, though not made out of gold. This sarcophagus was more preserved because the stone that was used was of higher quality than the others that had all but eroded away. Whoever had been buried in it was wealthy and of a far greater status in society.

This is the sarcophagus with the paint still preserved and with the figure lying down. The stone is very well preserved.

This is one of the sarcophagi that was not as high of quality as the one above. Notice how much erosion is on the face compared to the previous one, which is almost in perfect shape.

The connection to Greek culture could be clearly seen in Etruscan pottery, which mimicked the Greek style. The shape, the colors, and even the artwork was so similar to Greek that, if I hadn't known they were Etruscan, I would have mistaken them for a Greek pieces.

This is one of the Etruscan pieces of pottery. 

This is a Greek piece. Notice the same colors and design,. The artwork at the base of both vases is almost identical. Only the figures are slightly different. The Greeks preferred more athletic looking bodies where in the Etruscan version you can clearly see the figures are not in the best shape. 

The Etruscans came before the Romans. They were thought to have started around the early 7th century BC with Rome's founding being in 753 BC. So it is actually Roman culture that copied the Etrucans. The Romans adopted certain religious customs, like haruspicy, and had many Etruscan kings. But the Etruscan sculptures seem to hold the most influence in Roman art. Etruscan sculptures have details added to make them look more lifelike. This style, combined with the Greek style, is how the Romans became some of the greatest artists in history. Another aspect of Etruscan culture that may or may not have influenced the Romans is their use of wall paintings in tombs. They are very elaborate and show everything from dinner parties and hunting to mythology where gods were depicted or false doors were painted to lead the dead to the underworld. I thought this style of decor was very similar to the way the Romans would later decorate their own houses. Romans especially loved painting false windows or doorways that lead to garden scenes. Could it be possible that these tomb paintings meant for the rooms of the dead could inspire decoration in the rooms of the living?

This is an Etruscan statue head that reminded me of many Roman works of art.

An Etruscan tomb. This scene seems to be representing a feast.

This is a fresco found in the Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii. It seems a more advanced version of the wall paintings found in the tombs of the Etruscans. 

It's interesting to see how much of Roman culture was not just borrowed from the Etruscans but also from many other cultures and they combined it to form one of the greatest empires of all time.