Showcase of Social Status - Funerary Architecture in the Inland Southern Etruria in the Hellenistic Period
Abstract
In the Hellenistic period (from the 4th century BC to the 1st century BC), in contrast to the big coastal centers of the southern Etruria - Tarquinia, Cerveteri, and Vulci, that lost their dominancy in wars with Rome, smaller centers in their hinterlands started to flourish. This flourishing can be seen mainly in their necropoleis.
The settlements, with some exceptions, are poorly preserved, lie buried under the subsequent constructions and current towns, or are not excavated sufficiently enough to provide us with information about Etruscan society and demography in this areas. Thus the main sources of information are the tombs constructed for local agrarian aristocracy.
For inland southern Etruria are typical rock-cut tombs. The occurrence of the rock-cut architecture here is determined by geomorphology of the area.
The landscape is characterised by volcanic tuff stone bedrock, vast flat plateaux that are intersected by deep canyon-like valleys with steep cliffs created by rivers. The construction of rock-cut tombs began around the second quarter of the 6th century BC ad reached its first diffusion in the Archaic period, particularly in the necropoleis on the south of the area (Blera, San Giuliano, Tuscania).
After the decline in the Classical period came second increase in construction in the Hellenistic period, particularly on the north of the area (Sovana, Norchia, Castel d'Asso). In this time an important change in architecture of the tombs took place.
This change was manifested mainly in the tomb facades - in creation of new types and their variability, elaboration of the carved relief decoration and monumentalization, that has all increased respect to previous periods. The most innovative has been the trend of imitating the architecture of small shrines (aedicula) and temples and decoration with figural and floral motives in relief, mainly in Etruscan necropoleis of Sovana and Norchia.
The tradition vanished around the beginning of the 2nd century BC due to the changes of Etruscan society and culture caused by the Romanisation. This contribution wants to reveal, what these tombs can say us about their owners - local Etruscan elites, which flourished in the time when Romans took command of their territory.