- chapter 29: Tarquinia, Sacred areas and sanctuaries –
Besides sigla with the cross inscribed in the circle, a number of shards are inscribed
with a name that can hardly be referred to a common person because it is written either
complete or in abbreviation, in Etruscan and Greek, and by different hands. These
inscriptions, now under study, come along with the latest epigraphic documentation
so far found on the site, recalling the above-mentioned main Etruscan goddess Uni
worshipped since its foundation.^11 The ultimate evidence of her presence is proven by
the inscription χiiati, which means “related to χia,” inscribed on an “impasto” pottery
shard found in these same premises (Fig. 29.8). In fact the inscription refers to χia, which
defi nes the chthonic nature of the goddess Uni, whose features are already well known
thanks to the documentation of Cerveteri and Pyrgi (see Chapter 30).^12
Figure 29.7 Tarquinia, “monumental complex,” the terracotta plaque found inside the well.
Courtesy of Università degli Studi di Milano, “Progetto Tarquinia,” archive.Figure 29.8 Tarquinia, “monumental complex,” the “impasto” shard with the inscription χiiati.
Courtesy of Università degli Studi di Milano, “Progetto Tarquinia” archive.