- chapter 17: Etruria Marittima –
Greek banquet hall revealed an Etruscan inscription upon an amphora from Marseille dated
to the end of the sixth century (Fig. 17.4).^93 The Etruscan fi nds from Ampurias (Palaiopolis,
Neapolis and the necropoleis) merit a full study of recent fi nds and a deep scrutiny of the
old ones so as to bring to light a panorama no doubt vastly richer than what is currently
understood.^94 Based on identifi cation from the old fi nds and amongst the Etruscan banquet
wares are a simpulum (“ladle,” infundibulum or “strainer”) with frog fi gurine^95 (Fig. 17.18) and
the two fi gurines and feline paw with inscription,^96 the last three identifi ed as offerings.^97
The head of a lion decorating a chariot or piece of furniture (end of the sixth century, Fig.
17.19)^98 and especially the Etruscan mirror (end of the fourth century, Fig. 17.20) might
be understood as markers of an Etruscan presence at this Greek colony.^99
The indigenous context: the oppidum of Saint-Blaise (Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence)
dominates a large marshy sector that formerly communicated directly with the sea. The
complement of Etruscan goods, numerous and varied, was noted in the excavations of
the upper city and the lower town by the ramparts. Bernard Bouloumié revealed the
presence of a remarkable concentration of fragments of Etruscan amphorae at the foot
Figure 17.18 Empúries/Ampurias, fragment of infundibulum with fi gurine of a frog serving as hinge.
(Catalogue Empúries 2007).Figure 17.19 Empúries/Ampurias, terminal appliqué in form of a lion-head, bronze.
(Catalogue Empúries 2007).