- chapter 60: Animals in the Etruscan household –
The overall evaluation of the popularity of Etruscan animal motifs spanning approx.
480 bc to 323 bc; 32 items and 59 animal motifs are shown in the Figure 60.7. During
this period there is a continued decline in interest in “exotic” animal motifs, and perhaps
more surprisingly we see a reduction in the popularity of “mythical” animal motifs.
Instead we see what appears to be a return to “domesticated” and “wild” animal motifs,
perhaps indicating a revival in interests from earlier periods of Etruscan civilization.
Thus the top three most represented animals include in descending order, birds, horses
and joint third snakes and lions.
The Classical period is quite interesting as suddenly we see a reversal of interest in
mythical animal motifs, and a continued decline in the use of exotic animals as motifs
on pottery, wall paintings and other objects. Rather, we see a return to “old-fashioned”
values and a revival of both wild and domesticated animals as decorative motifs. Perhaps
these changes are indicative of real or feared threats to the continuance of things Etruscan,
with value being attributed to a period that signifi ed older and better times?
The Hellenistic periodThe overall evaluation of the popularity of Etruscan animal motifs spanning
approximately 323 bc to 100 bc: 35 items and 52 animal motifs are shown in Fig. 60.8.
In this the fi nal period of Etruscan civilization, we see a stable interest in “mythical”
animal motifs and a slight resurgence of interest in “exotic” animals. However, there
is a loss of interest in “wild” animal motifs, in fact the lowest level seen for any of the
previous periods. In contrast, there is a continued increase in “domesticated” animal
motifs, with A II attaining a level that matches that of the Archaic period, and A I
attaining the highest level of interest seen to date. Thus the top three most represented
animals include in descending order, horses, birds and joint third dolphins and lions.
The Hellenistic period denotes a strengthening of interest in “old-fashioned” values
albeit with a slight revival in exotic animal species. Yet, wild animals seem no longer
to be highly valued, falling to an all-time low in terms of their occurrence on Etruscan
objects. This particular period of Etruscan civilization is associated with a loss of political
5AI AII BI BII BIII CI CII CIII DI DII DIII1015% of Animal MotifsRegistered202530
Domesticated
Wild
Exotic
MythicalFigure 60.7 Classical period. A graphic presentation of some 32 items spanning the years 480–323 bc
depicting or representing animal motifs classifi ed as per Fig. 60.1.