Etruscan paintings

[Reltih]

Paintings from one of the first european civilizations.
Here they go:


Close-up of the central mural in the Tomb of the Bulls, Tarquinia, "Achilles in Ambush." Mid 6th century B.C. A scene from the Illiad. The Trojan prince, Troilus, upon a stallion is ambushed at the well outside the walls of Troy by Achilles. Below, are trees representing winter, summer and fall, and between the trees is a girdle worn around the waist of Etruscan men, frequently appearing in Etruscan scenes. A wreath or garland hangs on the branch of the tree in winter, which may indicate the time of the hero's death. The girdle may be from the Cestus Girdle of Aphrodite, here carried by Hemeros.




Painting of Amazons on the side of the sacrophagus from Tarquinia. See Translation_Miscellaneous-scripts.html.



Athletes and horseman, Tomb of the Chariots, Tarquinia, ~490 B.C.




Back wall, Tomb of the Augurs, Tarquinia, scene of two Augurs, with inscription, "The priest, he stands, to pass." See Translation_Miscellaneous-scripts.html





Banquet scene, Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, ~470 B.C. Note what appears to be a "Tartan" fabric on the couch. Part of the banquet appears to have involved a ritual drink (probably wine) which may have been like mead or Hindu Soma.



Server, Banquet in the Golini Tomb, Orvieto, now in the Archological Museum, Florence, 4th century B.C. It is unfortunate that the writing above the server cannot be read from this image.



Banquet scene in the Tomb of the Shields, Tarquinia. Third century B.C.




Negotiation, Tomb of the Baron, Tarquinia. Note the wreath hanging over the black horse.



Crouching bull, Tomb of the Bulls, Tarquinia., middle of the 6th century B.C.




Dancing woman, Tomb of the Lionesses, Tarquinia, ~520 B.C. Located on the back wall; behind her is a vase or cauldron which may have to do with rebirth, as in Celtic beliefs. See the Gundestrup caldron, where Celtic warriors are dipped into a cauldron and given a new life.


Woman dancer, Tomb of the Triclinium, Tarquinia



Dancers, Tomb of the Lionesses, Tarquinia, ~520 B.C. The young man carries a metal olpe, or jug, and in the young lady's right hand are castanets.



Youth diving, Tomb of Hunting & Fishing, Tarquinia, ~510 B.C. This mural is part of an overall theme of hunting and fishing. The birds are fleeing from a man hunting with a sling, and the man diving appears to be chased by another man on the peak. Indo-European tradition identifies fish, and perhaps birds, like stars diving into the ocean at dawn. Diving into the water is like rebirth, just as the stars are reborn.



Player on the double pipes, Tomb of the Triclinium, Tarquinia, ~470 B.C. Note the sash hanging on the tree. The birds at rest in the trees probably has something to do with the sash of the departed in the tree; i.e., rebirth.



Detail of the Sacrifice of the Trojan Captives. The winged lady may be Thetis, the goddess of the sea, mother of Achilles.




Scene from the François Tomb, Vulci. I am unable to read the inscriptions (names) above the heads of the two figures.

[Reltih]

Hunting with dogs, François Tomb, Vulci





Hermes carrying a woman, slab from Caere, Louvre, Paris, ~6th century B.C. Hermes (Latin, Mercury) is the messenger of the gods. According to Julius Caesar and other sources, the main god of the Celts was Hermes. Agni, the god of fire of the Rig Veda of India, has an important role as the messenger of the gods. Offerings to the fire are carried by Agni up to the abode of the gods. The Etruscan messenger may be like Agni, carrying the cremated soul to heaven.



Head of a Lyre-Player, Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, ~480 B.C.



Rulers of the Underworld, Tomb of Orcus, Tarquinia, 3rd or 2nd century B.C. Shown is Aita (Hades; also known as Orcus) on his throne. Next to him is Phercipnei (Greek Persephone, wife of Hades), and facing them is the three-headed grandson of the Gorgon Medusa, Geryon. Geryon was the king of Erytheia (Cadiz, a major Phonecian port in the south of Spain) . Hercules stole his cattle; later Geryon was killed; no doubt here he registering his complaint regarding the cattle theft. Note that Phercipnei has snakes in her hair and Aiti has a snake over his right shoulder.



Detail of table setting, Tomb of Orcus, Tarquinia.




Sphinx, of a Boccanera slab from Caere, 5th century B.C., British Museum



Back wall of the Tomb of the Lionesses, Tarquinia, ~520 B.C. Below the lionesses is a large vase with two attendants. On the left is a Lyre-player and the left a man plays the twin pipes. There may be a relationship between the large vase and the Celtic ritual shown on the Gundestrup cauldron, noted above, where the dead are revived by dipping in the cauldron.



Servant carrying a wine bowl, Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, ~480 B.C.



Detail, woman's head, Tomb of Orcus, Tarquinia, ~4th century B.C.



Detail, woman's head, Tomb of the Shields, Tarquinia, ~3rd century B.C. Her name appears to be Ronia, and one can see that she is not happy about her mate leaving her. The inscription above the couple's head appears to say, " Veler (person's name) Orcus (the underworld) abducted, to wander away from Ronia." This script may be viewed at: Miscellaneous_Short_Inscriptions_a.html




Back wall of the Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, ~480 B.C.

[Reltih]

Painting of Amazons attacking a Greek, a sarcophagus from Tarquinia now in the Archeological Museum, Florence, ~5th century B.C.



Painting of Amazons in a quadriga on one of the sides of the sarcophagus from Tarquinia. In the Illiad – and this is true of late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age warfare, including Celtic, the warrior had a servant-driver who would carry the warrior into various battle positions.



Athletes and armed dancer, Tomb of the Chariots, Tarquinia, ~490 B.C.




Man in flight, Tomb of the Augurs, Tarquinia, ~ 530 B.C.



Dancers, Tomb of the Bacchants, Tarquinia, ~510 B.C.



Banquet scene, Tomb of the Funeral Couch, Tarquinia, ~460 B.C. Possibly painted by the same artist who painted the Tomb of the Triclinium (Lat. dining-couch, dining room)




Servant cutting something (meat?) for the banquet, on a table with a drain, Golini Tomb, Orvieto



Banquet scene in the Tomb of the Shields, Tarquinia. The scene has an inscription which appears to have been written over earlier inscriptions.



Back wall, Tomb of the Baron, Tarquinia, ~510 B.C. The deceased may be the woman to whom the drink is being offered.



Close-up of the Tomb of the Baron.


Two seated men, perhaps a consultation with an augur, stone slab from Caere, Louvre, Paris, ~middle of the 6th century B.C.



Male dancer, Tomb of the Trinclinium, Tarquinia, ~470 B.C.




Male dancer, Tomb of the Triclinium, Tarquinia. Note the poncho-like garment.



Back wall, detail, Francesca Giustiniani Tomb, Tarquinia, ~ 5th century B.C. The man holds a crook in his left hand. Not seen in this image, to the left of the woman, is a chariot, and the woman may be protesting his departure in the chariot.



Hunter and fishermen, Tomb of Hunting & Fishing, Tarquinia.



Player on the double pipes, Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, ~480 B.C.



Sacrifice of the Trojan Captives, François Tomb, Vulci, ~2nd century B.C. The scene depicts the burial ceremony for the Greek hero Patroclos. After burning his body on a bier, a tumulus was raised and games celebrated. Horses and captives were sacrificed and placed in the tumulus. Charon, the grim ferryman, stands ready with a hammer to hit the victim over the head before admitting him into the underworld, Hades.



Scene from the François Tomb. Death of the brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, sons of king Oedipus of Thebes. The brothers had agreed to rule on the throne of Thebes together but went to war against each other. The war is known as "The Seven against Thebes."



These (Theseus) threatened by a demon, Tomb of Orcus, Tarquinia. Theseus is known for killing the Minotaur of King Minos to save the lives of the Athenian children sent in sacrifice to it; but he had many adventures, and the one shown here involved his friend Peirithoüs, with whom he had abducted the daughter of Zeus, Helen, when she was about 11 years old. Later she was abducted by Paris a prince of Troy. But Peirithoüs later convinced Theseus that they ought to abduct Hades' wife, Persephone. Hades froze them there in a "state of forgetfulness," frozen by snakes, until Hercules found them there and rescued Theseus and some say Peirithoüs was freed as well.



Lyre-player and dancing woman, Tomb of the Triclinium, Tarquinia, 470 B.C.



Procession, Tomb of the Typhon, Tarquinia, 1st century B.C.



Typhon, a titan with serpent-legs. Tomb of the Typhon, 1st century B.C. In the Greek myth Typhon, or Typhöeus, was a monster born to Ge that had a hundred burning snake heads and spoke with voices of men and animals. He battled with Zeus, and in one of many tales Zeus crushed Typhon's smoking body under a mountain. Some say Zeus threw Sicily on top of him, giving Mt. Etna life. Here the monster's legs are snakes and its palms are flush against the ceiling, holiding it up. His grey-blue colors reflect the grimness of the realm of Charon and his lord, Aita (Hades).



Three women, Boccanera slab from Caere, British Museum, ~middle of the 6th century B.C.



Detail, wrestlers, Tomb of the Augurs, Tarquinia, ~530 B.C Behind them appears to be a caldrun.



Wrestlers, Tomb of the Monkey, Chiusi, ~480 B.C.