Lecture 2: From Villanovans to Etruscans
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A. The Invasion of the Urnfield Cultures- ca. 1000 B.C.
1. Cremation- Romania to Spain, Poland to Italy
2. Villanovans- Archaic I and II, Pericle Ducati, Bologna typesite
a. Pozzo and Ziro Tombs
b. Biconical Ash Urns
c. Impasto Ware
B. Characteristics of Archaic II (750-675 B.C.)
1. End of the Greek Dark Ages
2. Greeks arrive in South Italy and Sicily
a. Chalchis and Eretria establish Pithecusa/Ischia
b. Cumae
c. Chalchis settles Rhegium on the toe of Italy in 725 B.C.
d. Sparta founds Taras/Tarentum 706 B.C.
e. Corinth founds Syracuse 733 B.C. in eastern Sicily
f. Wheel-made Greek pottery begins
3. Urnfield Cultures in Latium/Lazio
a. Sepolcreto in the Roman Forum
b. The Palatine Hill
c. Romulus and Remus
d. Hut Urns
4. Sculpture- The Wiry Geometric Style
a. Characteristics: open form, not realistic, fork legs, slit eyes, gash mouth
b. The Beast Headed Man and Woman from Vetulonia
C. The Etruscans- Archaic III Begins 675-600 B.C.- Orientalizing Period
1. Who are the Etruscans?
a. Indigenous People influenced by Assyria, Phoenicia and Greece
b. International Age- May come largely from Po Valley and villages such as
Frattesina on eastern Po.
c. Raw materials to trade- wool, wine, iron, copper
2. Near Eastern Connections
a. Assyria and Tiglath-Pileser III 744-727 B.C.
b. Orientalizing Period Art- influence from Assyria
c. Sargon II annexes Syria in 711 B.C.
d. Esarhadon II 681-668 B.C. annexes Phoenicia and Egypt
e. Phoenicians and Greeks
3. New Elements in Etruscan Art and Culture
a. Wealth- Upper Class, finer materials
b. Tumulus-
1. Krepis
2. Dromos
3. Stele
4. Corbel- corbeled arch
5. Cerveteri/Caere/Agylla
c. Necropolis
d. Writing- Etruscan language
e. Bucchero
f. Sculptural Advances- The Marsiliana Ivory ca. 650 B.C.