- Maria Anna De Lucia Brolli and Jacopo Tabolli –
from the archaeological excavations of Mengarelli in 1933 records a strong Veian
component in the decoration of the city temple, where the architectural terracottas were
derived from the same molds used for the decor of the sanctuary at Veii-Portonaccio
around 510 bc (De Lucia Brolli and Baglione 1997, 2004). The marking on the back of
the slabs in Etruscan, functional to their implementation, is a technical device, which
is refl ected in the complex at Veii. Moreover, the presence of the fi gure of Achelous,
although extremely fragmentary, in the decorative system of the sanctuary of Pizzo Piede
was interpreted as an allusion to the heroic cycle of Herakles, whose role in the sanctuary
of Portonaccio is particularly relevant around the end of the sixth century bc (Fig. 14.19).
The close relationship between the two shrines indicates a profound infl uence on the part
of Veii, which could also be interpreted in political terms, at least for the community of
Pizzo Piede. This relationship is not random, however, since the establishment of Pizzo
Piede is naturally connected to Veii by a clearly identifi ed road. On the other hand this
is the sector which over time has produced the largest number of Etruscan inscriptions
in funerary contexts, and from inside the area, the oldest and most numerous are dated
in the seventh century bc (Gamurrini 1894, Cristofani 1988, Bagnasco Gianni 1996,
Colonna and Maras 2006). It should be remembered that Narce is characterized precisely
by the large number of Etruscan inscriptions in contrast to a very limited presence of
Faliscan inscriptions, which, however, are late and come exclusively from the suburban
sanctuary of Monte Li Santi-Le Rote (De Lucia Brolli 2012 in press). This too has been
interpreted in favor of the Etruscan character of Narce (Cifani 2005) or the presence of an
Etruscan-speaking community, permanently implanted in the Faliscan center (Cristofani
1988). In fact, if we look at the inscriptions that have been preserved, especially the
oldest ones, as part of a more general reference to the writing system of Veii, we recognize
peculiarities in the script that would attest, according to recent studies, an independent
local writing tradition (Maras 2012). A striking example is the association of the three
sibilants in the writing system, a feature absent in contemporary texts at Veii. On the
other hand, the inscriptions – of gift, of possession, and of amatory content, very long
and literary in character – are displayed on movable objects, which could be the result of
trade and not related in a precise and unambiguous way to a stable presence of Etruscans
within the social structure of Narce (for reading and analyzing texts, see Colonna and
Maras 2006). A recent re-reading of the inscriptions has highlighted the contribution of
Veii as a center of radiation for the dissemination of epigraphic models adopted by the
Faliscan elites, and especially from nearby Narce, where the nascent aristocracy express
their dominant role over the town’s population through the use of Etruscan, but in a local
reinterpretation. The same lemma Tevnalthia, which could be the oldest name of Narce,
is written in Etruscan characters, but this reveals certainly not an Etruscan etymological
origin, but probably it is Italic instead (Maras 2012). Even at Falerii, indeed, the oldest
attestations of writing are in the Etruscan language: witness the olla from the tomb of
the necropolis of Montarano 43, which, placed on a typical support of local production
like the olla itself, bears, in Etruscan and not Faliscan (as in a previous reading), the very
suggestive ritual prescription, “Do not put me down” (Colonna 2011).
However, it should be remembered that Faliscan inscriptions are also attested at
Narce, albeit late and limited in number and coming exclusively from the suburban
sanctuary of Monte Li Santi-Le Rote (De Lucia Brolli 2012 in press) (Fig. 14.20). It is
precisely this shrine that offers additional insights into the close ties between Narce and
Veii. Among the votives, the presence of heads from the fi rst half of the fi fth century bc