- Stephan Steingräber –
the deceased (Tombs of Reliefs and Alcova and Torlonia in Cerveteri, Mercareccia Tomb in
Tarquinia). The huge number of burials of several generations underlines the continuity
of the gentilicial group. Also, the external façades of monuments were often remodeled
with architectural and sculptural decorations. Quite different is the tomb type with barrel
vaulting built in stone blocks which is documented fi rst in the Early Hellenistic period in
Cerveteri (Tomb of the Demons in Loc. Greppe Sant’Angelo) and Orvieto and later mainly
in the territories of Chiusi, Cortona and Perugia partly covered by tumuletti.
ROCK TOMB ARCHITECTUREThis phenomenon was characteristic for the inner parts of Southern Etruria (and the
Faliscan area) and unique in Italy from the fi rst half of the sixth century bc until the end of
the third/beginning of the second century bc. The main sites are San Giuliano, Blera and
Tuscania for the Archaic period and Norchia, Castel d’Asso and Sovana for the Hellenistic
period (Fig. 32.11). Great attention and care were paid to the external appearance of
the monument often characterized by profi les and painted decorations. Especially in the
later period the monument and exterior façade became more monumental and elaborated
whereas the tomb chambers situated under the façade became simpler and appeared
sometimes like rough-hewn caves. Concerning the typology we fi nd cube, house, aedicula,
temple, porticus and tholos tombs. The most common type was the cube or half-cube tomb
probably inspired by the cube tombs of Cerveteri. A variation is the so-called cube tomb
with sottofacciata/under-façade, a space furnished with benches and a false door. The most
noble rock tombs such as the temple and porticus tombs in Norchia and Sovana reveal
infl uences from temple and palace architecture and are richly decorated with reliefs and
sculptures. The Ildebranda tomb in Sovana shows the ground plan of a “peripteros sine
postico” and has to be connected with the concept of heroization of the deceased (Fig.
32.12). It was obviously the owner’s intention to attract attention to the splendor of
his tomb and to keep himself and his family alive in the memory of his descendants.
Figure 32.11 Sovana, Tomb of the Siren: rock aedicula tomb of Hellenistic period.