- Erika Simon –
lion’s body and three heads (of lion, goat and serpent) was cast by an Etruscan artist in the
early^ fourth century bce. The goat’s head is wounded and Chimaera is represented with her
mythical adversary, Bellerophon, riding on Pegasus. The inscription on her right foreleg
tells us that the group was a votive in the sanctuary of Tin, the highest Etruscan god.
Apart from mythical scenes there are single fi gures from Greek myth in Etruscan
art. We fi nd them on gems especially and some of them have inscriptions.^65 In earlier
archaeological literature these fi gures and scenes were thought to be copies after Greek
originals. Many Etruscan artists, however, created original works (Figs. 24.10–13 and
others). They mixed their symbols and fi gures with Greek ones (Figs. 24.19, 23–24).
A part of them surely was bilingual. Etruscans were the fi rst to be fascinated by Greek
mythology outside Greece.
NOTES1 Krauskopf (2011) 133–137; below n.14.
2 Rome, Villa Giulia. M. A. Rizzo, M. Martelli, “Un incunabolo del mito Greco in Etruria.”
ASAtene 66/67, 1988/89, 7–56; A. M. Moretti Sgubini, Il Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa
Giulia. Guida breve (Rome 1999) 35 fi g. 27; Krauskopf (2011) 134, n. 11 (literature).
3 LIMC V (1990) 629–638 “Iason” (J. Neils).
4 LIMC Suppl. 2009, 165–159 “Daidalos et Ikaros” (J. E. Nyenhuis).
5 Diodorus 4, 30; Pausanias 10, 17,4.
6 C. de Simone, Die griechischen Entlehnungen im Etruskischen (Wiesbden 1970); H. Rix, “Das
Eindringen griechischer Mythen in Etrurien nach Aussage mythologischer Namen.” Schriften
des DArV 5 (Mannheim 1981) 96–106.
7 See below n. 43.
8 Strabo 5.2.2 p. 220 C; commentary: St. Radt, Strabons Geographika 6 (Goettingen 2007) 29–31.
9 Pliny, NH 35,152; Steingräber (2006) 41 f; von Hase (2008) 223.
10 Wuerzburg, M. v. Wagner Mus. ZA 66 (Nereus foundation). Martelli (1987) 18. 262 f. no.
38 pI. 92; eadem AA 1988, 285–296; Simon (1996) 99–104; Krauskopf (2011) 133 f.
11 DNP 10 (2001) 642–644 “Pyrrhiche” (R.Harmon). In Rome armed dances were performed
by the priesthood of the Salii: RE I A 2 (1920) 1873–1894 “Salii 1” (F. Geiger).
12 Ap. Rhod. 1, 1134 ff: “By command of Orpheus the young men in full armour moved round
in a high-stepping dance, beating their shields with their swords” (translation E. V. Rieu).
Kouretes in the cult of Rhea (Cybele): LIMC VIII (1997) 736–741 “Kouretes/Korybantes” (R.
Lindner).
13 Martelli (1987) 18.
14 Strabo 5, 2, 3 p. 220 C; above n. 8. The Argo sailed from Thessaly to the Black Sea. Etruscans
interested in Thessalian myths: LIMC VIII (1997) 154 “Tyro” (E. Simon).
15 Aristonothos krater from Caere. Blinding of Polyphemus. Rome, Mus. Cap. Inv. Castellani
- Martelli (1987) 263 f. no. 40 pI. 93; v. Hase (2008) 225 Fig. 3.
16 DNP 2 (1997/99) 907 f. “Caeretaner Hydrien” (M. Steinhart).
17 Hemelrijk (1984) 141 f.
18 Hemelrijk (1984) 14 no. 4 pI. 32 f. and 23 f. no. 11 pI. 54.
19 Malibu, Getty Mus. 83. AE 346. Hemelrijk (1984) 41 no. 23 pI. 88. 89 a; LIMC V (1990)
37 “Herakles” no. 2016 pI. 56.
20 Simon (2009) 53 f.
21 Hesiod, Works and Days 585–587; E. Lobel and D. Page, Poetarum Lesbiorum Fragmenta
(Oxford 1955) 270 frg. 347 (Alcaeus).
22 Martelli (1987) 23–30.
23 Martelli (1987) 31–42 (M. A Rizzo).