13 102 A In two locations Villanovan (proto-Etruscan) settlements were found. These were built on parallel defensible hill plateaux, which later became the Etruscan cemetery and city. Villanovan villages were small clusters of mud-brick huts with thatched roofs, vividly depicted in contemporary hut-urns.
#Villanovan hut-urn from Tarquinii, Villanovan settlement
2 102 G Scattered around Tarquinia were numerous Villanovan (proto-Etruscan) cemeteries. These contained predominantly small pit graves holding a few grave goods and an urn. Such urns were covered with a dish or occasionally with a terracotta or bronze helmet, as if representing a body.
#Villanovan burial practices, urn and helmet
-1 101 Z The Etruscan city was situated on a hill plateau, about 6 miles (9 km) from the sea. It was enclosed by walls, which during the 4th century BC had a perimeter of 5 miles (8 km). On the coast Tarquinia had its own harbour, from which trade with the Phoenicians and the Greeks was conducted.
Tarquinii
12 102 D The Etruscan city was situated on a hill plateau, about 6 miles (9 km) from the sea. It was enclosed by walls, which during the 4th century BC had a perimeter of 5 miles (8 km). On the coast Tarquinia had its own harbour, from which trade with the Phoenicians and the Greeks was conducted.
#Painting of boat, Tarquinii
11 102 H In the city the foundations of a 4th century BC temple were found. Its ground-plan was a common one in Etruria. Built on a raised platform, it consisted of a portico, followed by a central room and two wings. The front was decorated with beautiful terracottas, including these winged horses.
#Terracotta winged horses, Etruscan temple
2 102 E The main cemetery of Tarquinia was the Monterozzi necropolis. It contained at least 10,000 graves and was in use from the 9th to the 2nd centuries BC. Here no less than 136 painted tombs were found, which provide a unique insight into Etruscan funerary practices and everyday life.
#Painting of Augur, Monterozzi cemetery
9 102 C During the late 8th century BC the Etruscans became part of an international trade network, which proved a catalyst for socio-economic and cultural change. Contact with West Asia was established through the Phoenicians, who imported this vase bearing the cartouche of the Egyptian pharaoh, Bakenrenef (Bocchoris).
#Bocchoris vase, Bocchoris Tomb
3 102 B Whereas the paintings of the 6th and 5th centuries BC portray a happy world full banquets, hunting and games, those of the 4th to 2nd centuries convey a grimmer atmosphere. They show demons, armed with hammers and snakes ready to carry the deceased to the underworld.
#Demon from the Anina tomb, Hellenistic period
6 101 X The main cemetery of Tarquinia was the Monterozzi necropolis. It contained at least 10,000 graves and was in use from the 9th to the 2nd centuries BC. Here no less than 136 painted tombs were found, which provide a unique insight into Etruscan funerary practices and everyday life.
