- chapter 49: The phenomenon of terracotta –
decoration (a vertical plaque with cavetto profi le, painted tongue pattern and painted
anthemion),^11 as well as those of the revetment plaques with painted guilloche, suggest
the possible infl uence of western Greek roofs of Sicily.
In the early sixth century bc, some cut-out acroteria at Poggio Civitate (Murlo) evolve
from the fl at plaque with painted interior details into a plaque with incisions on one side
to defi ne interior details of the double volute or, in one case, a rider.^12 The ridge acroteria
of this period from houses at Acquarossa decorated the front end of the fi nal ridge tile
at the edge of the roof and sat perpendicular to the axis of the ridge. Some are formed
of large plaques, pelta-shaped and with interior grooves for defi nition, made separately
from the ridge tile and with a curved opening to fi t over the tile.^13 The same mounting
technique and orientation is found on a bow-volute acroterion with relief-modeled fi gural
decoration at Poggio Civitate (Murlo)^14 that forms a technological transition to acroteria
of statues in the round that will soon follow.
TERRACOTTA ROOFS OF THE SO-CALLED FIRST
PHASE, 580–550/540 BCThe fi rst major shift in the decoration of Etruscan roofs occurs around 580 bc with the
introduction of moldmade fi gural reliefs for the decoration of revetment plaques and some
raking simas. Scenes seem to draw inspiration especially from Corinthian vase painting.
The appearance of fi gured friezes in Etruria comes shortly after their use in Rome on various
roofs of public buildings on the Capitoline hill and in the Roman Forum.^15 In Rome,
the relief revetment plaques are decorated primarily with processions of felines recalling
animal friezes on Corinthian painted pottery, but at least one horse rider is documented,
part of a larger scene of unknown type.^16 At Veii, the nearest Etruscan site to Rome,
some similar plaques appear to imitate these earlier Rome revetments, with a few animal
friezes^17 and several military scenes that include horse riders accompanying a departing
warrior mounting his chariot.^18 Further north at Poggio Buco revetment plaques with
animal processions and horse riders^19 betray a similar source of inspiration through their
cavetto profi le decorated with squat convex strigils close in proportion to those of the
Rome revetment plaques. A wider array of scenes is found on the revetment plaques of
the courtyard building at Poggio Civitate (Murlo): a horse race, a cart procession, a seated
assembly and a banquet, each scene allocated to a different part of the building.^20 Some
of these scenes have been compared to Early Corinthian vase painting, a probable source
also for the scene of hounds chasing hares on the raking sima from the same building.^21
The courtyard building at Poggio Civitate (Murlo) (Fig. 49.1) provides an exceptional
wealth of information on the full complement of terracotta roof decoration around
580–575 bc in Etruria. In addition to its fi gural raking sima and revetment plaques on
the edges of the roof, the ridge was richly decorated with handmade terracotta statues
mounted on large convex ridge tiles: at least ten seated male fi gures with beards and
wide-brimmed hats and nine or more female seated statues of smaller scale, both types
mounted perpendicular to the axis of the ridge;^22 at least four standing or walking human
statues oriented along the axis and at least six human statues wearing helmets or the
hats of fl amines;^23 mythical creatures (a running fi gure, probably a Gorgon, a possible
centaur, sphinxes, a griffi n, a hippocamp),^24 and animal statues of ten different types and
two different sizes (felines, horses, a boar, a ram, bulls),^25 all oriented along the axis of
the ridge. Findspots of fragments of these statues suggest that the seated statues were