Photos of the Fascinating Etruscan Tombs of Cerveteri

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Photos of the Fascinating Etruscan Tombs of Cerveteri Necropolis of Banditaccia , Cerveteri Archaeological Site, Italy. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.

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Photos of the Fascinating Etruscan Tombs of Cerveteri Necropolis,

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Photos of the Etruscan tombs of Cerveteri Necropolis of Banditaccia, Italy.

Etruscan Cerveteri

Cerveteri was an Etruscan city state. By 600 BC it had a population of between 25,000 – 40,000 people. The Necropolis of Banditaccia dates back to about 900 BC.

Cerveteri Necropolis

The early burial chambers were simple pits to hold the ashes of the dead. By the 5th century BC the Etruscans had started building a more sophisticated tombs that imitated the buildings of Cerveteri.

Etruscan House Shaped Tombs

Each family dug house shaped tombs out of the soft volcanic tuff rock. These were designed as replicas of Etruscan houses. Early Etruscan houses were round with cone shaped thatched or tiled roofs. This was then mirrored in the design of the Etruscan tombs in the Cerveteri Necropolis.

Inside these rock tumuli tombs the Etruscans cut chambers. They were decorated with stone beams like the wooden ones in their real houses. Between these beams tile shapes were carved to represent the inside of tiled roofs. Relief carvings were made on the tomb walls of household implements. Niches ware cut into the wall with sculpted pillows to make them look like bed chambers.

In some tombs Sarcophagi are cut out of the rock to hold the ashes of the deceased. Benches were along the walls for cinerary urns to stand on as well as grave goods.

Excavation of Cerveteri Necropolis

When Etruscan tombs were excavated in the late 1700s thousands of pottery black and red figure vases were found. Initially designers like the Adams Brothers believed they were Etruscan. Later research by archeologists has traced the vases manufacture back to Ancient Greece. The Etruscans loved Ancient Greek vases and today a very high percentage of all know black and red figure Ancient Greek vases in museums came from Etruscan tombs.

The design of Ancient Greek pottery became so popular with Etruria’s that Ancient Greek potters moved to Etruria and set up workshops.

The Necropolis of Banditaccia at Cerveteri is built like an Etruscan City with streets and different quarters. Later Tumuli were built in rows of square shaped tombs, known as “dado” or dice tombs.

These run in rows along streets just as real houses did. As no Etruscan cities exists today the Cerveteri Necropolis s the only way that historians have come to understand what Etruscan cities looked.

Many cities still have Etruscan Street plans such as Pompeii, but later Roman settlers built over the earlier Etruscan buildings.

Cerveteri is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.