Etruscan world (Room 71)

3000 BC – 1st century BC

The Etruscans flourished between the eighth and first centuries BC and were famed in antiquity for being devoutly religious, for their metalworking, their love of music and banqueting, and the independence they allowed their women. The Romans, with their greater military strength and unity, overcame the different peoples of Italy one by one, but they learned much from the Etruscans.

The wide range of objects in Room 71 illustrates life and beliefs in pre-Roman Italy.

Image captions (clockwise from top left):

Stand and bowl with griffin’s heads 675-625 BC

Bronze mirror showing Herekele and Mlacuch 500-475 BC

Painted plaques 560-550 BC

Painted sarcophagus of Seianti Hanunia Tlesnana 150-140 BC