- chapter 19: Etruscan goods in the Mediterranean world –
and accompanying Greek amphorae along river piers, at Lyons and at Bragny-sur-Saône.
An analysis of the fi nal contents of the handled cauldron from Hochdorf showed a strong
concentration of honey, which would suggest, according to certain hypotheses, a local
beverage and perhaps offers an explanation for the minimal consumption of wine at the
princely sites. However, there is also the possibility that this mixture, rather than being
a beverage, was a ceremonial fl uid used to embalm the deceased.^89 Even if the numbers
are small, the defi nitive presence of Greek, and likewise Etruscan, amphorae in the Celtic
hinterland suffi ces to prove the introduction of wine into the heart of the Continent in
the sixth century.^90 Otherwise, the transport of wine along extensive land routes may
have occurred, after the initial export, in containers of wood or in skins which were better
adapted for land travel, as described in the Odyssey.^91
The diffusion of perishable products transported in small quantities (oils, perfumes,
incense) might be deduced from the presence of appropriate vessels and through laboratory
analysis.^92 In the Celtic hinterland, the so-called pyxis from Appenwihr has provided an
exceptional piece of evidence: formerly considered to be some kind of container, and
not an incense-burner, its association with a ribbed phiale indicated a ceremonial usage,
which may have implicated an Etruscan, according to G. Camporeale.^93 The small
Etruscan coffers, quadrangular and covered with ivory or sculpted bone revetments,
found in southern Iberia and in the Punic colonial circuit, may have served as containers
for incense or other aromatics. We have already referred to the Etruscan perfume vessels,
both in bucchero and in Etruscan-Corinthian ware: to use these fl asks requires refi lling,
and thus suggests a trade in perfumed oils and unguents in containers of larger size.
The possibility of architectural evidenceNo vestiges of Etruscan architecture have as yet been clearly identifi ed in regions far
from Etruria, and for a long time the chimeric interpretations of A. Schulten concerning
the Cyclopean ramparts of Tarragona and Etruscan primitive origins have received
other explanations.^94 Until now, the clearest evidence of Mediterranean – and possibly
Etruscan – architecture, suggesting the movement of the architects themselves, has been
the ramparts with quadrangular towers and mud-bricks at Heuneburg. At this same
princely site, the plans of the aristocratic houses suggest a distant infl uence from Etruscan
houses.^95 Otherwise, the interpretation of two apsidal buildings recently brought to
light at Mont Lassois, of which the larger has a façade in antis, is caught between the two
equally compelling hypotheses, of Mediterranean infl uence or the evolution of the local
architecture.^96 In the Celtic hinterland once again, one might note the possibility of an
Etruscan infl uence for the sanctuary of Zavist, built on a monumental platform, in the
region of Prague.^97 In the funerary domain, the large Celtic tombs of the sixth century have
been considered in relation to Etruscan architecture, both in terms of the accent on their
monumentality and the use of funerary chambers designed to resemble banquet halls.^98
Concerning southern France, let us focus on two constructions. Marseille, on the
Îlot Cathédrale (Îlot 55 ), has brought to light the “House of the Etruscans” a partially
excavated, quadrangular architectural unit with stone foundations. At Lattes, the
“Etruscan Houses” pull together several continuous structures. In these two cases, we are
dealing with quadrangular constructions with stone foundations located in proximity to
the ancient harbors. Additionally, for both, the “Etruscan” designation applied by the
archaeologists derives from the remarkable concentration of Etruscan vases at both sites.^99