- Adrian P. Harrison –
that a number of Etruscan individuals are seen on horse-back and, on occasion, dressed for
battle, take for example the Cerveteri Warrior on horse-back in the form of a balsamarium
that was found in Banditaccia necropolis tomb 304 (circa 570–550 bc) and is now on
display at the Museo Nazionale Cerite (Rossi 2011: 12).
Horses would also have offered the fastest mode of land transport, and would have been
synonymous with speed. Numerous Etruscan items depict horses in motion with their
legs fully stretched and their spines fl exed. Others depict horses harnessed to a chariot for
recreational racing and athletic competition, take for example the amphora by the Micali
painter (circa 525–490 bc) which is believed to have been produced in Vulci, depicting
a four-horse chariot with riders on display in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen
(circa 500 bc; HIN 676: Rm 21A, Case A-2: Moltesen 1982: Fig. 1), a clear example
of a need for speed if ever there was one (for more on chariots, see Chapter 41). There is
also the example of the painted vase from Narce (circa 700 bc) that shows a horse tamer
and acrobats, the latter standing on the back of two horses (Philadelphia, University
Museum, see Fig. 52.7). It seems that the Etruscans saw the horse as being a symbol
of speed, of status and independence, as well as a sign of power and entertainment. We
should not forget, however, that animals and agriculture are very much intertwined.
Clearly, Etruscan society and individuals placed pride in their livestock, and rightly so as
there was a very strong link with an individual’s fi nancial stability.
Animals and their motifs also form a very strong link with other cultures that were
associated commercially with the Etruscans. Often, the introduction of animal motifs
comes directly from other cultures through the telling of myths and the exchange of
exotic and highly esteemed pottery, sculpture and art. Indeed, such exchange of animal
motifs even occurs without the artist ever having seen the animals he attempts to portray
on occasions.
ETRUSCAN ANIMAL MOTIFS AND RELIGIONAnimals have always been closely linked with religion and the Afterlife. Used for sacrifi ces
to the gods, or as omens of an impending tragedy they have become a pillar of religious
belief that has been adopted up to the present day, where Christian saints are depicted by
animal motifs (e.g. Eagle: John the Evangelist). For additional animal sacrifi ce scenes, see
Chapter 28, Figs. 28.2 (goat), 28.5 (bovine), and 28.7a (fawn).
Animals: bringers of deathJust as today, in the past working with and handling animals was not without some
element of risk. Racing horses either bare-back or in association with a chariot was a
dangerous sport, likewise the handling of bulls and boars was not without risk of injury
or death and the introduction of more exotic species such as lions, panthers and elephants
must without doubt have cost some individuals their life. Indeed, some of the Etruscan
art that has survived provides examples of just such dangers; 1) the Tomb of the Augurs,
Tarquinia circa 510 bc depicting a man with a sack over his head battling with a dog
- perhaps a form of sport, but more likely a funerary ritual evoking a blood sacrifi ce
(Haynes 2000: 233 Fig. 190); 2) the cinerary urn from Volterra circa 200 bc that depicts
the death of Actaeon being torn apart by his hounds (Haynes 2000: 365 Fig. 287); 3)
the bucchero kantharos from Vulci circa 620 bc depicting a lion with a human leg in