Where Have All the Etruscans Gone?

Friday, April 8, 2011

                               

Today we’re in Civitavecchia, Italy.  This is a major Italian commercial port.  It is located about 40 miles north of Rome and consequently also serves as the cruise port for Rome.  Those passengers who have not previously visited Rome left the ship early for a long day there.  We were in Rome in 2001 and 2006 so we elected to take a ship sponsored shore excursion to visit Tarquinia.  It was the ancient center of the Etruscan civilization.

Our tour took us about 20 miles north of the port to a rural area outside Tarquinia where we saw the Etruscan Necropolis or “City of the Dead”.  This area had been inhabited by early Etruscans as early as the 9th century B.C.  The earliest Etruscans were called Tyrrhenians.  The Necropolis was composed of dozens of small burial chambers which originally had little or no markings above ground.  However, since their discovery and restoration each has small structure covering the burial chamber and the stairwell leading down into it.  The chambers are well lighted and it is very easy to get a nice view of the chamber.  We were given a brief history of the Etruscans and then had ample time to visit several chambers and photograph their interiors.  The quality and condition of the paintings varied by burial sight.  The men were painted clothed in red, while the women were in white.  Some of the burial sights were for multiple family members.  One even had a separate chamber for “sitting”. 

   

The view from the entire sight was spectacular. When you looked over the surrounding hillside you could imagine what life might have been like all those many years ago.  The olive trees, ivy and other plants are the same as the ones portrayed in the ancient burial chambers. 

   

The burial chambers were filled with personal effects of the deceased as well as tools, food, bowls, urns, jewelry ,religious items, and anything else the citizens thought would be convenient to the deceased in their afterlife.  Many were buried in elaborate sarcophagi, which were most ornate for the higher ranking citizens. This entire burial procedure and its related religious beliefs is very similar to that of the ancient Egyptians.  Our guide explained that even the earliest Etruscans were great seafarers and evidence suggested that they traded with Greeks, Egyptians and Phoenicians. 

   

  

  

All these personal effects and related burial objects as well as the sarcophagi have been removed from the tombs and are displayed in the Etruscan National Archeological Museum that we visited in Tarquinia. Some of the artifacts we saw in the Museum were from this Tyrrhenian period.  We had time at this museum to view the extensive exhibits.  The museum is in a 15th century castle and the building and contents were really fascinating and interesting, even to those of us with little knowledge of ancient civilizations.  So what happened to these highly civilized people?  Our guide explained that they did not have a strong central social structure, but lived in “city states”.  The Romans conquered these city states, one by one during the 5th and 4th centuries, B.C.

         

                               

Our next stop was at a luxury resort, The Villa Valle del Marta, a few miles from Tarquinia.  (Marta is the pretty little river nearby)  Here we were treated to samples of wines made on the resort property and many of their homemade foods.  We had canapés with pate, bruschetta with olive oil, honey marmalade, fruit jams and jellies, wonderful olives, sun dried tomatoes, and other finger food, all of which was fresh from the farm and vineyard which surrounded the villa.

          

Then back to the ship in time for a very light lunch, a change of shoes and a ride on a shuttle bus to downtown Civitavecchia.  We wandered around the old part of the city. It is a lovely area although it does not have the charm of many European cities because it was almost completely destroyed during WWII.  However the gelato was wonderful!    

   

                             

          

Arrivederci, Civitavecchia!

Buon giorno, Lipari.