- Fredrik Tobin –
adaption of a related new repertoire of music. And while it is entirely possible that some
Greek musical practices, and perhaps even practicing musicians, came to Etruria with the
introduction of the new instruments, that is not reason enough to assume that the music
of Greece and Etruria were identical (Fig. 46.10).
Although some instruments, like the aulos, were used by the Etruscans on all
kinds of occasions, other instruments seem to have had more specifi cally defi ned uses.
Brass instruments, for example, do not appear in banquet scenes but seem instead to
be connected to civic and military matters. There is a widespread ancient tradition of
ascribing the invention of different brass instruments to the Etruscans^39 and several
ancient authors (the earliest including Aeschylos, Sophokles and Euripides) talk about the
tyrsenike salpinx, or Etruscan trumpet.^40 Although the exact meaning of tyrsenike salpinx is
elusive^41 and even though the attribution of the invention of the trumpet to the Etruscans
is factually suspect, it is clear that the Greeks associated the Etruscans closely with brass
instruments. In light of the way the instruments appear in Etruscan images of public
processions^42 and the nature of the Tarquinia lituus deposition mentioned above, it does
seem that brass instruments played an important role in Etruscan society. Considering
the strong Etruscan tradition in metalworking this is not surprising.
Several ancient writers comment on the Etruscan use of musical instruments in very
diverse contexts, specifi cally while baking, practicing boxing and fl ogging slaves.^43 We
do not have any supporting evidence for the claim that the Etruscans played music while
fl ogging their slaves, and when it comes to baking to the accompaniment of music the
pictorial evidence is sparse and hard to interpret. A painting in the Tomba Golini I in
Orvieto does show a meal being prepared in the presence of an aulos player,^44 as does the
Campana dinos in Boston. In the latter case it should be noted that the scene can hardly be
interpreted as an everyday cooking scene, but probably displays some sort of Dionysian
event.^45 When it comes to the connection between music and boxing in Etruria there
are several images to support the claim, for example a black-fi gure amphora decorated
by the Micali-painter, now in London (Fig. 46.11).^46 Other kinds of athletes also appear
together with musicians. A bronze mirror from Chiusi, dating to around 500 bce, shows
a long jumper mid-jump; to the left of him is a servant holding a strigil and to the right,
an aulos player (Fig. 46.12).^47 String instruments do not appear with athletes, only the
aulos, the lituus and the crotalum do.^48
Figure 46.10 Sarcophagus and lid with portraits of husband and wife (1975.799).
Late fourth-early third century bce, Vulci. Photo © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.