Intact Etruscan tomb discovered

[Owlscrying]

August 14

Rome, Italy - Archaeologists have discovered a more than 2,000-year-old Etruscan tomb perfectly preserved in the hills of Tuscany with a treasure trove of artifacts inside, including urns that hold the remains of about 30 people.

The tomb, in the Tuscan town of Civitella Paganico, probably dates from between the 1st and 3rd centuries B.C., when Etruscan power was in decline, said Andrea Marcocci, who led digging at the site.

It's quite rare to find a tomb intact like this, he had suspected one might exist in the area after work on a nearby road scattered with pieces of artifacts.

Inside the tomb, a narrow corridor led to a small burial chamber, about 2 meters long and 1.79 meters wide, he said. It housed about 80 objects including vases and mirrors in bronze and ceramic. Urns holding human remains were also found.

"It's quite exceptional to find so many objects in a tomb so small," Marcocci said. "Some of the vases (urns) were fairly small, so we think they were probably for children."

One of Italy's first and most mysterious civilizations, the Etruscans lived north of Rome in present day regions of Tuscany and Umbria. Their civilization lasted for about 1,000 years, reaching its height roughly from the 7th to the 6th century B.C., before its cities were replaced by Roman settlements.

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[questionmark]

I wonder how the art scavengers missed that one.

[Pax Unum]

A really fascinating find....

[MissMelsWell]

Most excellent! I can wait until we start hearing more about what's in this tomb. The Etruscans were so interesting... unfortunately, I don't think they had much of a written language, or at least not in the way the Egyptians and Greeks did--so they probably won't find anything written down, but those tombs were often lavishly painted and decorated with frescos and pictures.

Cool. I'm happy to know there's still a lot to discover in Italy.

[swtp]

The archeologists are sure having a good run of things lately! I can,t wait to hear and see all about these new finds as they get them sorted and begin presenting them to the public! I hope there good luck doesn,t run dry anytime soon!

[Themis]

I wrote a paper on the Etruscan treatment of women last term for college - they are a fascinating culture.

I will be interested to see the paintings in the tomb - towards the end of their civilisation they became increasingly 'dark'. There did have writing, however not much of it was preserved.

Its an amazing find... I wish I was there working on it... I love the Etruscans

[Mad Manfred]

Umm...if it's 2,000 years old...wouldn't it be a Roman tomb?

[MissMelsWell]

Umm...if it's 2,000 years old...wouldn't it be a Roman tomb?

Mmmm, the last Etruscan kings of Rome would have been about 2400 years ago... but the Etruscan people and customs lived well beyond that.

[Themis]

The Etruscans were a seperate culture that existed at the same time as the Romans in what is now known as Italy...