- chapter 41: Princely chariots and carts –
be nice to think that in these carriages the seat always would have been attached to the
anterior part of the fl oor (see Figs 41.22, 41.25), to allow the loading of luggage and
household goods in the middle and rear part. In the same fashion, the metal accessories
for the revolving axle are sometimes associated with showy bronze coverings (see Figs
41.15–17), which confi rms that this type of cart was designed exclusively for ceremonies
that took place in the town, in the sanctuary or the necropolis.
The possession and display of a chariot as a status symbol among the Etruscan aristocracy,
and sometimes as a medium for fi gurative projects of self-representation in the same way
as proper and permanent monuments dissuades us from seeking – among the remains
found in tombs – the traces of chariots that were actually used in sporting competitions.
From the rich grave goods in all the tombs with chariots we may deduce that the patrons
led an aristocratic lifestyle, while we know that the racing jockeys were of servile origin
and did not receive a burial like those of the lords who organized the races of bigae and
trigae on the occasion of civil or religious holidays or for funerals.
The form of such chariots is known from fi gural monuments beginning in the third
quarter of the sixth century bc (Bronson 1965, Jannot 1984, Decker 1991; see Chapter
45), in the friezes in terracotta of noble residences and temples (Fig. 41.26), in funerary
sculpture and painting (Figs. 41.27, 41.28), but also in vase painting (Fig. 41.29). Such
representations do not fall within the theme of this chapter, but are useful to illustrate
the basic construction of a fast chariot in wood, leather and rawhide alone, and are useful
for understanding why we fi nd only the iron rims of the wheels in the majority of the
remains of vehicles from the princely tombs of preceding centuries.
Figure 41.26 Chariot-racing depicted on terracotta friezes of Veii-Rome-Velletri type, dating
530–520 bc. From Fortunati 1993.Figure 41.27a–b Old drawings of the scene with preparations for a chariot race, painted in the Tomb
of the Triclinium of Tarquinia. From Steingräber 1984, pp. 296–297.