- chapter 45: Etruscan spectacles: theater and sport –
thus evidence that Etruscan artists were not content to merely reproduce Greek images,
as is too often assumed, but they actually portrayed quite unmistakably the local realities
(Thuillier 1985: 369–404).
Horse racingThe originality of Etruria is even more striking in relation to the horse races that were, as
they would be later in Rome, and as with boxing, the sport par excellence of this people.
In addition to the equi brought from Etruria to Rome for the games of Tarquin the Elder
(circa 610–600 bce), terracotta plaques uncovered in an aristocratic residence at Murlo
show us that just shortly after 600 bce a bareback horse race is held, where the jockeys
compete for the prize of victory: a cauldron placed on a column, a true Etruscan Palio,
especially as Murlo is near Siena (Root 1973). But the tomb frescoes of Tarquinia and
Chiusi are remarkable and incredibly informative. This is particularly true of the Tomb of
the Olympic Games already cited for its athletes. On the left wall of this small tomb, next
to the boxers, we see four chariots rush to a vertical pole located on the track, indicating
the fi nish line: the lead charioteer turns to see where his opponents are (Fig. 45.4), and
we see that the fourth charioteer is the victim of a “wreck,” a spectacular fall. The dress
of these drivers is signifi cant: with their mid-thigh length tunics, leather helmets and
whips, they are very different from Greek charioteers, who, like the Charioteer of Delphi,
wear a long robe, are bareheaded and have a goad (the kentron). Their driving technique is
also remarkable: in Etruria, so they do not fall from the chariot, the reins are tied around
the waist with a huge knot; in contrast, Greek charioteers simply take the reins in their
hands – a wad of reins falling inside the box of the chariot allows better control (Bronson
1965). However, as can be seen on many documents – mosaics, reliefs, terracotta, glass,
intaglios – from the equipment to the driving technique the Romans learned everything
from the Etruscans and not from the Greeks.
The type of chariot used in these equestrian competitions is also signifi cant. In the
frescoes of Tarquinia mentioned above, these are bigae, chariots drawn by two horses.
Etruscan iconography also never shows races of quadrigae (four-horse chariots) in contrast
Figure 45.4 Tomba degli Olimpiadi, left wall, chariot race, Tarquinia, circa 510 bce.
Photo courtesy of Stephan Steingräber.