- chapter 24: Greek myth in Etruscan culture –
acroterium, which I think depicts the sun god (Usil) with his horses. The goddess of the
dawn held a vessel in her left hand for spilling the morning dew.
The most famous architectonic sculptures, excavated near Veii,^56 date from the late
sixth century bce. They belong to different groups that had been placed on the highest
beam of a building in the sacred precinct.^57 One particular group showed Apollo and
Herakles debating over the deer of Artemis.
Apollo is better preserved than the others, while only Hermes’ beautiful head exists.
We may call him “Turms of Tin,” because Zeus sent him to make peace between Apollo
and Herakles. Etruscan gods lived in harmony.
Whereas Greek pediments could be fi lled with fi gural scenes already in the sixth century
bce, the Etruscans adorned the ends of the main beams with square reliefs (see Chapter
49). An antepagmentum of this type was found in Caere’s harbor Pyrgi (Fig. 24.22),^58 from a
Figure 24.20 Clay acroterium from Caere. Eos (Thesan) with Tithonos in her arms.
Berlin, Staatl. Mus., inv. TC 6681.1 (n. 53).Figure 24.21 Clay acroterium from Astrone valley. The dawn goddess Thesan.
Chianciano Terme, Mus. (n. 55).