Among the Etruscans

The Etruscans, who gave their name to Tuscany, have had a bad deal from history.  The Romans, who defeated and absorbed them, erased most of their culture.

Most of what is known about their culture comes from a series of around 6000 underground tombs, many of them elaborately painted with scenes from daily life.  They are mostly situated at Tarquinia, which is about 60 miles from Rome.  We went there yesterday, and visited some of the tombs which are open to the public.

These winged horses are the stars of the Etruscan museum in Tarquinia. They were found in the remains of the largest Etruscan temple ever found

Barbara wanders among the buildings protecting the entrances to the tombs

The detailed paintings, though much damaged in places, are still vividly coloured.  This is the Tomba dei Leopardi - note the two leopards at the top

In this tomb, on the left, female panthers above servants holding an amphora, while two figures dance at the side.  Note the dolphins gambolling below! At right, a  reclining figure

Sun dapples the landscape around the site