ITALIAN JOURNEY – PROGRAMME 2

ROME – ETRUSCAN TOMBS

Cerveteri is an ancient town in the heart of the Etruscan countryside, 42 kilometres outside Rome

Archeologist Federica Scala offered to show James one of the many burial grounds and to tell him a bit about this fascinating civilisation.

James: So who were the Etruscans?

Federica Scala: They were a people who lived here long before the Romans.  Just think, when Rome was not much more than a little village on the banks of the Tiber, the Etruscans already controlled all the trade routes in the Mediterranean.  So they were a very important people.

James: And what are these wells?

Federica Scala: They are ancient graves.  They are the oldest ones here, in this burial ground.  They contained the urns with the ashes of the dead who were cremated, and their ashes put inside terracotta urns in these tufa, these rock chambers.  As I said, these are the oldest ones here.

James: But I thought there were tombs here.

Federica Scala: There are lots here.

James: Will you show me?

Federica Scala: Of course! Let’s go.

James: OK. Thank you. So, we have seen the small tombs and now there is this enormous tomb.  Why did this change take place?

Federica Scala: Because the tombs we saw were from a period when the city was very small, just a village.  These tombs belong to a period when the city had become more important.  And there was an aristocracy that could afford such splendid tombs.

James: But why were the tombs so important?

Federica Scala: Look, I’ll show you inside this one and I’ll tell you.

James: Is it dug out of the rock?

Federica Scala: It’s completely dug out of the ground.  Out of the rock.  There was a roof here.  It was completely covered.

James: It’s incredible. It’s strange that it is so big on the outside and so small inside.

Federica Scala: Because in this large burial mound there are three other tombs.  This is the oldest, but it is not the only one.

James: It looks like a house!

Federica Scala: Yes, because the Etruscans built their tombs like houses.  Because they thought that in the afterlife the dead person needed everything that they needed in life.  Here the bodies were laid on the ground, not cremated as we saw in the older tombs.  I’ll show you another interesting one.  Shall we go?  Do you remember?  It’s called the “Hut tomb”.

James: "Hut" because … of its shape?

Federica Scala: Because of its shape, yes.

James: Another change?

Federica Scala: Yes, you see, here there is no longer a mound.  The tomb has been entirely dug out of the rock.  We’re going down.

James: Yes, we’re going a long way down.  Is it from a different period? 

Federica Scala: Yes, it’s later than the burial mounds we saw earlier. This dates back to the 4th century B.C. 

James: It’s incredible! Is it the only tomb where there is painted relief work?

Federica Scala: Yes, look, this is all painted plaster-work, that has been stuck onto the walls of the tomb.  It shows everyday objects such as goblets, shields and swords. Can you see?

James: It’s fantastic!

Federica Scala: And there are the tombs.  The one opposite us is the main one – Mr. Matuna’s tomb.  It was a family tomb, of a very important family that we know were called “Matuna”.

James: I’ve never seen such a beautiful tomb!

Federica Scala: It’s the only one of its kind, not only here, but in the whole of Etruria.

James: So it’s not the only one in Italy?

Federica Scala: Well, the Etruscans only settled in Etruria, not all over Italy.

James: It’s a bit like a city.

Federica Scala: Yes, isn’t it?  It’s got roads, and the tombs are almost like houses,  This is one of the largest tombs in the necropolis. 

James: Yes, I can see.  What us this tomb called?

Federica Scala: It’s the Mengarelli tomb.

James: Why "Mengarelli"?  What does that mean?

Federica Scala: It’s the name of the person who financed and carried out the first excavations on this archeological site in the early 1920s.

James: And why is it so big?

Federica Scala: It probably belonged to a prince, or a very important person here in Cerveteri.  Look!

James: Oh, that’s beautiful!Fabulous! 

Federica Scala: That was the most important tomb, and around it the tombs of the less important families.

James: And is this the most important one?

Federica Scala: There’s another one, down there, which is very big.  But it is one of the biggest. 

James: And what is special about this tomb?

Federica Scala: The unusual thing is that it is not finished. And we don’t know why.

James: We don’t know?

Federica Scala: We don’t know. It’s a mystery. It’s one of the many mysteries surrounding this civilisation.