CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
ETRUSCAN SPECTACLES:
THEATER AND SPORT
Jean-Paul Thuillier
INTRODUCTION: THE SITES OF SPECTACLEST
hose who are interested in the various spectacles offered by Roman civilization will
soon turn their attention to the many buildings of the Empire that have hosted
them: circuses, theaters, odeons, and of course amphitheaters. Is not the Colosseum often
presented as the symbol of Roman civilization? The same approach applied to Etruria
would prove a priori very disappointing since we know of virtually no permanent Etruscan
performance structures, with the exception of the theater of Castelsecco in Arezzo, but
by then we are in the Hellenistic period, with “Romanization” in full swing, and the
elliptical building at Cerveteri, the purpose of which is at best ambiguous (Camporeale
2004: 165, 337). Does this mean that Etruria was not a society of the spectacle, in contrast
to Roman civilization? Obviously not: the chronological question is the key here, indeed
prior to the fi rst century bce in Rome itself one could not cite many stone theatral
structures: by contrast, places of entertainment constructed in perishable materials, wood
especially, were numerous, in Etruria as well as in Rome.
In the absence of actual public buildings, it can be noted that from the seventh century
bce, several tombs of Orientalizing Tarquinia (the tumuli of Doganaccia, Poggio del
Forno, Poggio Gallinaro, the Infernaccio) have a structure that has been described as
“theatriform” (theater-shaped): a wide dromos, similar to a small courtyard or piazza,
is often bordered on several sides by steps designed to accommodate spectators, and
especially members of the nobility, who could watch not only stage dances but also
boxing or wrestling matches, as part of funeral games. Other religious ceremonies such
as sacrifi ces could obviously be celebrated there. Later, in the sixth century bce, the tomb
of the famous Cuccumella at Vulci, or the rock-cut cliff complex of Grotta Porcina near
Blera, with an altar or a base for cippi, still retain similar structures (Colonna 1993).
The frescoes in the Tomb of the Bigae (“Tomb of the Chariots”) of Tarquinia, dated
circa 500 bce, offer a remarkable picture of facilities for spectators. One can see the
wooden grandstands protected by vela (awnings), that seem to illustrate the description
of the Circus Maximus at the time of the Etruscan king Tarquin the Elder, as told by
Livy or Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Thuillier 1985: 622–634). While young servants,