With Dr. Eireann Marshall

While remains of Etruscan towns are scarce, they have provided us with some of the most staggering tombs from antiquity. In this lecture we will be explore the two most important Etruscan sites, Cerveteri and Tarquinia, two necropoleis whose staggering architecture and breath-taking frescoes bring Etruscans back to life. Cerveteri, which at its height had a population of 40,000, was one of the most important Etruscan cities, building its wealth from the trade passing through its port, Pyrgi. Its tombs, a fraction of which are visitable today, resemble a city, with enormous archaic tumuli later giving way to dice-shaped tombs which enclosed shrines decorated like houses. Tarquinia, in its turn, is famed for its vibrant tombs which provide clues about Etruscan religion and everyday life.