The Etruscan World (Routledge Worlds)

• Matthias Recke –

in the Roman-Latin sphere, a specifi c custom for sacrifi cial rituals that was not practiced
by Greeks or Etruscans. The representation of the velum (veil) is therefore interpreted
as a sign of Romanization. Indeed, it is found in places like Veii, which in 396 bc was
conquered by the Romans, and there is a change from bare-headed votive heads of late
Archaic and Classical styles to corresponding representations with covered heads – a
phenomenon that occurs at different times and different places in association with the
founding of Roman or Latin colonies.^52 Around the end of the second century bc an
evident, relatively abrupt end to the custom of dedicating anatomical votives on the one
hand is associated with the historically tangible transformation of social structures, and
on the other with a change in religious practices at this time.^53

HISTORY OF RESEARCH

The genre of anatomical votives has attracted attention only relatively late in art-historically
oriented archaeology. Although individual heads have been known in Italian antiquities
collections since the seventeenth century,^54 a fundamental scientifi c examination of the
genre and a classifi cation according to formal criteria only took place at the end of the
nineteenth century. Signifi cantly, it was medical doctors interested in archaeology who
fi rst were interested in the material, namely Louis Sambon in England and Ludwig Stieda
in Königsberg.^55 Both men, as was common practice in their day, also purchased objects:
Sambon also furnished numerous appropriate pieces to Sir Henry Wellcome and to the
Oppenheimer collection (which later was also acquired by Wellcome), and Stieda donated
his extensive collection of anatomical votives from Veii to the Archaeological Institute of
the University of Giessen, Germany, in 1913.
The reasons for the initial lack of interest by archaeologists, and also by museums and
collections are manifold: fi rst, the material is often quite coarse, has many inclusions and
is not as fi ne or well fi red as the terracottas from Tanagra and Myrina that were greatly
prized by collectors and museums. Add to this the fact that products manufactured
as mass-produced pieces are often in poor condition (see Figs. 59.3, 59.11). In their
production worn molds may already have been used, so that – regardless of the artistic
quality of the original design – the aesthetic appeal is low. And ultimately the question
naturally arises, whether, apart from the complete statuettes and isolated heads, anatomical
votives possess any aesthetic quality that meets the artistic taste of a public that has been
schooled in the humanistic and Greek ideal.^56
Therefore, even in the wake of scientifi c arguments, with the latter strongly infl uenced
by medical issues,^57 it was not until the 1960s–1970s that the phenomenon (apart from
the submission of excavation reports) was intensively investigated archaeologically.^58 Of
great importance for the presentation of material is the series of the Corpus delle stipi
votive in Italia, begun in 1986, that now comprises 21 volumes.^59 Currently the genre is
considered especially in terms of its potential for religious, cultural and social-historical
studies.^60

NOTES

1 Only the pottery exceeds the anatomical votives in terms of quantity. However, it is not
known, as a rule, whether this consisted of votive offerings or vessels intended for ritual
meals.