Photos the the Beautiful Etruscan Tarquinia Tomb Art Paintings

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Photos the the Beautiful Etruscan Tarquinia Tomb Art Paintings, Monterozzi Necropolis of Tarquinia, Italy. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos the the Beautiful Etruscan Tarquinia Tomb Art Paintings

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Photos of Etruscan Tomb Art Paintings of Monterozzi Necropolis of Tarquinia, or Monte del Calvario Necropolis.

There are around 6,000 underground tombs cut into soft tuff volcanic ash rock at the Monterozzi Necropolis of Tarquinia. Those that have been excavated have revealed incredible Etruscan fresco wall paintings dating back to the 7th century BC.

The underground tombs of Tarquinia are so unique that they were designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2004.

Some of the Oldest Known Frescoes In Italy

The Etruscan paintings are some of the oldest known fresco paintings in present day Italy. Their sophisticated depictions have given historians an insight into Etruscan Culture and burial rights.

The Etruscans pre dated the Romans and created the earliest urban civilisation in the northern Mediterranean. The early kings of Rome were Etruscan such as Tarquinia. The Etruscan never created a single unified state. Each Etruscan city was autonomous. This made it easier for the Romans to slowly incorporated Etruscan City States into the Roman Empire.

Much of what we think of as Roman was in fact Etruscan in origin. Many of the great cities we associate with the Romans were in fact founded by the Etruscans. Pompeii was an Etruscan city that fought in Greece with the Romans eventually being annexed by Sulla. Etruscan and Roman culture and history are closely intertwined.

The Tombs of Tarquinia Designs

The area around Tarquinia is made up of volcanic ash Tuff rock that can be easily cut into and carved. At Tarquinia the Etruscans built their tombs 15 meters or so underground. Today there are no tomb monuments or markers above ground and the tombs were accessed via a flight of stairs.

Most of the tombs are single chamber with a burial pit and benches on either side of the room for cinerary urns.The painted Etruscan tombs at Tarquinia were replicas of Etruscan houses with painted fresco pillars and architectural details.

Some are painted as replica tents with views to trees outside with paintings of wild ducks, caught during a hunt, hanging inside. The painted tombs of Tarquinia seem to have been burial chambers for individual families and their extended families.

Although some have what seem to be burial pits in the floors and troughs cut into the walls for burial of bodies, the more common way of burial for Etruscans was cremation.

The Etruscan Tomb Art of Tarquinia

The paintings at Tarquinia depict aspects of living that we associate with the Romans. As the Etruscan pre date the Romans this indicated the influence the Etruscans had on them.

Banqueting is a popular fresco theme in the tombs. This not only depicts how the Etruscans liked to relax but also may represent some of the rights performed during burial.

Dancers and musicians are also popular scenes of the Tarquinia tombs. Many aspects of Etruscan life are depicted with hunters, fishermen, athletes and jugglers.

Apart from the painted Greek tombs of Paestum, the Etruscan paintings of Tarquinia are the only extensive in tact frescoes that survive from that era. This makes them a unique link in the history of art.