- Tom B. Rasmussen –
from tomb contexts, and a good example is the silverware found with the sarcophagus
of Seianti Hanunia Tlesnasa from near Chiusi and now in the British Museum – even
though the objects have since been lost (Ginge 2002: 11, pl. 11); however, most metal
items tend to have fallen foul of tomb-robbers from Roman times onwards.
When we come to pictures on pots, it might be possible to separate out those pots
made specifi cally for the tomb and those that were not. However, for Attic products
imported into Etruria there seems to be no discernible difference between the images
(banquets, Herakles scenes, and so on) on vessels found in houses, sanctuaries or tombs
(Reusser 2002). The situation for Etruscan painted pottery is rather different. It is far
less plentiful than Attic, and a recent study of tomb contexts that contain both Etruscan
and Attic concludes that the former was able to supply images that were less generic and
of greater local signifi cance (Paleothodoros 2009: 58). In Etruscan black-fi gure pottery
a striking example is a one-handled kantharos with a scene of prothesis or lying-in-state
(Werner no. 2.2, pl. 3; Fig. 33.3) – which, interestingly, is matched by no less than three
Attic one-handlers of the above-mentioned Perizoma Group, showing the ekphora or
funeral cortège, all made for the Etruscan market. Also of local signifi cance are those pots
that display images of Underworld demons such as Charun and Vanth. One example is an
Etruscan red-fi gure krater in Paris showing the sacrifi ce of a Trojan prisoner with “Charu”
swinging his mallet. On the other side of the pot we are in the Underworld itself: a Charun
faces two Amazons, one is labeled as a hinthial (shade) and the other named as Pentasila
(Greek Penthesilea), both are bandaged to indicate their violent deaths, and both have
their heads covered with their draperies to underline further that they are no longer alive
(Martelli 1987: no. 174, Beazley 1947: pl. 31). Also in Paris is the equally well-known
krater with Alcestis and Admetus (Etruscan Alcsti and Atmite), framed by Charun and
a snake-brandishing demon (Beazley 1947: 133, pls 30.1–2). What is important here is
not just the presence of demons but also the stories illustrated: the deaths of the Trojan
and Amazons, and the impending sacrifi cial death of Alcsti, from which she was in the
end spared. Both these pots come from the necropolis at Vulci. A good many others in
Etruscan-red fi gure showing death-demons are briefl y surveyed by Beazley (1947: 8–9).
Also placed in tombs were mirrors, as is clear from the excellent state of preservation
of many of them, as well as the legend suthina – “for the tomb” – written on several
(De Grummond 2009). A silver mirror was found in the Seianti tomb (see above), and
a decorated bronze mirror in New York (Bonfante 1997: no. 6) again shows Alcsti (here
Alcestei) and Atmite, with enigmatic fl anking fi gures that are not obviously demons. A
Figure 33.3 Etruscan black-fi gure (Ivy Group) one-handle kantharos, British Museum 99.7–21.1.
Courtesy of Trustees of the British Museum.