Tombs, Tombs, and more Tombs!

This past Saturday was full of Etruscan tombs as we visited the necropoli of Tarquinia and Cerveteri with our Saint Mary's group. Just to give a little background, the Etruscan civilization is a pre-Roman civilization that occupied the same area of Italy the Romans eventually conquered when they grew to be a dominant force in the Mediterranean.  Everything we pretty much know about the Etruscans comes from their necropoli (cities of the dead--aka tombs and cemeteries) outside of their cities. Both Tarquinia and Cerveteri are home to the largest and best preserved collections of Etruscan tombs (and have been the topics of study for our Archaeology and Art History classes these past two weeks). 

We first traveled out to the countryside of Tarquinia to explore its painted tombs. When we got off of the bus in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere, we were welcomed by a rare absolute silence, which we gladly embraced. At Tarquinia we were able to go down into and take a look at some of the most well-known Etruscan painted tombs that we had been studying in class (and conveniently had a test on on Monday--a perfect studying tool!). What's interesting to note about these painted tombs is how they focus on the joys of life instead of the reality of death, for most depict scenes of festive banqueting or celebratory games.  

The Tomb of the Leopards

The Tomb of Hunting and Fishing

The view from the Tarquinia necropolis.

As a break in between our day of adventuring tombs, we had a picnic lunch on one of the beaches outside of Tarquinia. While a beautiful day, the beach was absolutely deserted, which allowed to us to explore freely. There was a nice section of rock next to the water where we all convened for lunch as we took in the sights of a few boats and para-gliders on the water. Even a couple of brave souls (not us!) went for a quick swim in the cool water. It was a perfect and relaxing break before we switched gears back to tombs. 

Beach at Tarquinia!

At Cerveteri we explored a different type of tomb, rock-cut tombs (tombs that have literally been cut into the rock). Most of them are formed in tumuli (mounds of earth) and are big enough to house large families. It was extremely impressive to see how they resembled actual houses, for many had multiple rooms and were filled with rock-beds, benches, and even decorations. We were able to go inside five tombs, and while extremely musty, they were in great condition considering they were thousands of years old! 

One of the many rock-cut tombs. 

The Tomb of the Beds

While it was a long day of learning about Etruscan tombs, it was exciting to see and experience them first-hand; we can't wait for our next Saturday field trip!