1. The Ancient Roman World.
At the end of the Bronze Age (1000 BCE), a central European people known as the Villanovans occupied the northern and western regions of the peninsula. Beginning in the 8th c. BCE, Greeks established colonies on the mainland and in Sicily. From the 7th century BCE, people known as the Etruscans, gained control of the north and much of today’s central Italy, known as Etruria. The height of their power occurred in the 6th c. BCE, when they expanded into the Po River valley to the North and the Campania regions to the south. Their wealth came from fertile soil, and an abundance of metal ore. They were farmers, metalworkers, sailors, and merchants. They exploited their resources in trade with the Greeks and other people from the eastern Mediterranean. Etruscan artists knew and drew inspiration from Greek and Near Eastern art, assimilating these influences to create a distinctive Etruscan style.
The Ancient Roman World.

2. Reconstruction of an Etruscan Temple.
Etruscans incorporated Greek deities and heroes into their pantheon. They also used divination to predict future events. Our knowledge about Etruscan temples come from a few remaining foundations, and from ceramic votive models. Later, the architect Vitruvius would write about them. The temples were built from mud-brick walls. The columns and entablature were made of wood or quarried volcanic rock, called tufa (hardens upon exposure to air). Between BCE, Vitruvius compiled descriptions of the nature of Etruscan architecture. In certain ways, the temples resembled Greek temples. Etruscan builders also used post and lintel structure and gable roofs. The bases, column shafts, and capitals recall those of the earlier Doric or Ionic order, and the entablatures resemble a Doric frieze. Vitruvius used the term “Tuscan order” to describe the characteristic Etruscan variation of the Doric order, with an unfluted shaft and simplified base, capital and entablature.
Reconstruction of an Etruscan Temple.

3. Plan of an Etruscan Temple.
The temples were built on a high platform positioned in a courtyard or city square. However, only a single flight of stairs led to the columned porch on one short side of the rectangular temple. (stepped stereobated and peristyle colonnade-Greeks used) There was almost an even division in Etruscan temples between porch and interior space. Often, the interior was separated into three room that probably housed cult statues.
Plan of an Etruscan Temple.

4. Master Sculptor Vulca (?). Apollo. c. 510–500 BCE. Height 5’ 10”.
Although the temples were simple in form, they were decorated with dazzling displays of painting and terra-cotta sculpture. Unlike the Greeks, there sculpture was placed on the temple roof, which served as a base for large statue groups. Etruscan artists were great at designing figures that would not collapse under their own weight while the clay was still wet. They also had to regulate the kiln temps during the long firing process. This figure was parts of a four figure scene representing the labors of Hercules. The Apollo comes from the temple dedicated to Minerva and other gods in the sanctuary of Portonaccio at Veii. The four figures on the temple’s ridgepole depicted Apollo and Hercules fighting for possession of a deer sacred to Diana. Diana and Mercury look on. Apollo is striding forward boldly and it looks like he is stepping over the decorated scrolled element that helps support the sculpture. He has a well developed body and his Archaic smile demonstrates Etruscan sculptors were familiar with Greek kouroi. Unlike the kouroi, though, Apollo is partially concealed by a rippling robe that cascades in kinfe-edged pleats to his knees. The movement of Apollo has a dynamic vigor that was avoided by the balanced, rigid stance of the Greek figures. The sense of energy expressed in purposeful movement is a defining characteristic of Etruscan sculpture and painting.
Master Sculptor Vulca (?). Apollo. c. 510–500 BCE. Height 5’ 10”.

5. Porta Augusta. 3rd–2nd century BCE.
In architecture, Etruscans established patterns that would be later adopted by the Romans. Cities were laid out in grid plans. However unlike cities in Egypt and Greece, there were two main streets- one running north – south, the other running east-west. This divided the city into quarters, with the town’s business district centered at their intersection. Walls with protective gates and towers surrounded Etruscan cities. This city gate of Perugia is one of the few surviving examples of Etruscan monumental architecture. This gate is significant for anticipating the Roman use of the round arch, which is extended here to create a semi-circular barrel vault. A square frame surmounted by a horizontal decorative element resembling an entablature sets off the entrance arch, which is accentuated by molding. The decorative section is filled with a row of circular panels, alternating with rectangular, column-like strips called pilasters.
Porta Augusta. 3rd–2nd century BCE.

6. Burial Chamber, Tomb of the Reliefs. 3rd century BCE.
Historians know something about domestic architecture because Etruscans created house-shaped urns and also decorated the interiors of tombs to resemble houses, as in this burial chamber. This tomb was carved out of the rock to resemble rooms in a house. A flat ceiling seems to be supported by square stone posts. The walls were plastered and painted, and it was fully furnished. Couches were carved from stone, and other fittings were formed from stucco, a slow drying type of plaster that can be easily molded and carved. There are simulated jugs, pots, robes and axes. Other items were molded and carved to look like objects hanging on hooks. There’s even a family pet on carved onto the left column.
Burial Chamber, Tomb of the Reliefs. 3rd century BCE.

7. The remains of the dead were placed in urns or sarcophagi made of clay or stone. On this sarcophagi dating from 520 BCE, a husband a wife are shown reclining comfortably on a dining couch. The smooth, lifelike forms of their upper bodies are vertical and square shouldered, but their hips and legs seem to sink into the softness of the couch. Rather than a somber memorial, we encounter a lively couple with alert eyes and warm smiles. The man once held a cup, addressing the viewer as if he was a genial host.
Reclining Couple on a Sarcophagus from Cerveteri. c. 520 BCE. Length 6’ 7”.

8. This sarcophagus, slightly younger then the previous one, portrays another reclining couple, but during a more private moment. They are dressed only in their jewelry and just partially covered by the light sheet which clings to the forms of their bodies. This pair is absorbed with each other and sharing a tender embrace. This sarcophagi was clearly influenced by Greek Classicism I nthe rendering of human forms. The human intimacy captured here is far removed from the idealized detachment characterizing Greek funerary stelae.
Married Couple (Larth Tetnies and Thanchvil Tarnai) Embracing. c. 350–300 BCE. Length 7’.

9. Novios Plautios. The Ficoroni Cista. 350–300 BCE. Height 2’ 6 1/4”.
Cistae were cylindrical containers used by wealthy women as cases for toiletry articles. They were common wedding gifts for brides. This cista was found in Palestrina, and was made as a gift from Dindia Macolnia to her daughter. The artist signed the container. All engravings were done while the bronze sheet was flat, first by incising lines within the metal and then filling them with white material to make them stand out. The use of broad foliate and ornamental bands to frame the frieze recalls the practice of famous Greek ceramic painters. The most popular subject for cista were Greek myths. This is from the story of the Argonauts, sailors who sought water in the land of hostile King Amykos. The king would only give them water if they beat him in a boxing match. After the immortal Pollux defeated him, the Argonauts tied the king to a tree. This is the episode highlighted here. The legs and handle were cast as separate pieces and attached during the assembly process. The natural poses and individualization of the figures recalls the relaxed but lively naturalism already seen in Etruscan art.
Novios Plautios. The Ficoroni Cista. 350–300 BCE. Height 2’ 6 1/4”.

10. After the fall of the Etruscans, artists went to work for their Roman conquerors. This makes it difficult to distinguish between Etruscan and early Roman art. This head, once a part of a complete statue, may be an example of an important Roman commission. Since its over life-size, it may have been part of a commemorative work honoring a great man. The downward tilt of the head and the flexing of the neck, have led many to propose it was part of an equestrian figure. This rendering of a strong, broad face with heavy brows, hawk nose, firmly set lips, and clear-eyed expression is scrupulously detailed. The deep set eyes are created with ivory inlay, within which float irises created of glass paste within a ring of bronze. The life-like effect is further enhanced by added eyelashes of separately cut pieces of bronze. This work is often associated with a set of male virtues that would continued to be revered by Romans: stern seriousness, strength of character, the age-worn appearance of a life well lived and the wisdom and sense of purpose it confers. By 88 BCE, when the Etruscans were granted citizenship, their art had already been absorbed into that of Rome.
Head of a Man (traditionally known as “Brutus”). c. 300 BCE. Height 12 1/2”.