Approaches to Ancient Etruria

Approaches to Ancient Etruria covers a wide range of topics within the legacy of the Etruscans material and immaterial. Through close examination of the visible we gain insight into the questions of social and cultural identities, and broader questions lead to new interpretations and hypotheses. In fifteen articles, scholars from Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark present recent work on a broad range of Etruscan issues. Contributions include a settlement study and a detailed work on architectural mouldings, and they provide insights into religious practices, burial customs, funerary art, portraiture and social relations, deduced from epigraphical testimonia. Several articles deal with imagery in tombs, tomb paintings, bronze reliefs etc. one presenting a new hypothesis on the scenes on the Tragliatella oinochoe, another examining the Magistratensarkophag from Tomba dei Sarcofagi in Cerveteri while others explore space in tombs or invite the reader to experience images of nature or imagine Etruscan music. Two contributions deal with objects in the Etruscan Collection created by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen during his extended sojourn in Rome (17971838). The introduction includes a useful overview of Etruscan studies and Etruscan collections in Denmark.