The Villanovans
With yet another Friday comes another endeavor! This time, we headed below ground.
My classmates and I boarded our bus and headed out to Tarquinia early yesterday morning. If you recall from a post I wrote earlier in September, you might remember I swam in the Mediterranean. This time, my purpose was just a little more educational. Our first stop was the Archaeological Museum in the town center, which was filled with interesting artifacts gathered from the area from the ancient civilizations that lived there. The most interesting thing I learned all day is that before the Etruscans, another civilization thrived in this region of Central Italy: the Villanovans. They came about nearly a century before the Etruscans, and got rich quick because of their mineral dense land. After the Etruscan conquered them, they assimilated into the civilization I now associate with decorated sarcophagi and ancient parties.
After the museum and some time to explore came the fun stuff- going way down underground! We arrived at the Necropoli, which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site, and walked up to the top of the hill in which many tombs reside. We took a second to admire the undisturbed horizon that was simple stunning. I was perfumed with the scent of rosemary and mint that was growing wild among the grass. My Art History teacher picked a few herbs she claimed she would add to her tomato salad that night. There were grasshoppers 5 inches long and could fly! They definitely picked a good home. Afterwards, we discussed what actually took place on the ground we sat on. Turns out that at the funeral parties of the Etruscan leaders (yes I did mean parties, the Etruschi were celebratory people), there were many games played to determine the next one. Who could be the strongest and throw the discus the furthest? Who could ride their chariot the fastest? They conducted one contest after the other. We had our own contest of sorts with a race, proving that these games were not easy on top of this collina.
A big job at these tombs is preserving the paintings that decorate the walls. Each is unique and was applied throughout the ancient 8th to 1st centuries BCE. It's a rough job due to funding but also the nature of the chemicals and working underground, and we got to discuss this with the best of the best. The woman in charge of preserving the tombs along with her team (who has also worked in the Papal apartments and all over Sicily and Rome) told us all about the complications of working underground, and how important it is to save the culture. It was interesting to hear about how difficult it is and I was glad that we have such an educated woman looking out for the Etruscan culture.
And finally, I got to go exploring myself! Some friends and I climbed many staircases to admire the unique individual tombs that occupied the space below us. It was amazing. The amount of work that needed to go into the construction, the ancient artwork, and the clear care that was put into these tombs astounded me. I was thoroughly impressed.
Il Museo:
Necropoli:
My classmates and I boarded our bus and headed out to Tarquinia early yesterday morning. If you recall from a post I wrote earlier in September, you might remember I swam in the Mediterranean. This time, my purpose was just a little more educational. Our first stop was the Archaeological Museum in the town center, which was filled with interesting artifacts gathered from the area from the ancient civilizations that lived there. The most interesting thing I learned all day is that before the Etruscans, another civilization thrived in this region of Central Italy: the Villanovans. They came about nearly a century before the Etruscans, and got rich quick because of their mineral dense land. After the Etruscan conquered them, they assimilated into the civilization I now associate with decorated sarcophagi and ancient parties.
After the museum and some time to explore came the fun stuff- going way down underground! We arrived at the Necropoli, which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site, and walked up to the top of the hill in which many tombs reside. We took a second to admire the undisturbed horizon that was simple stunning. I was perfumed with the scent of rosemary and mint that was growing wild among the grass. My Art History teacher picked a few herbs she claimed she would add to her tomato salad that night. There were grasshoppers 5 inches long and could fly! They definitely picked a good home. Afterwards, we discussed what actually took place on the ground we sat on. Turns out that at the funeral parties of the Etruscan leaders (yes I did mean parties, the Etruschi were celebratory people), there were many games played to determine the next one. Who could be the strongest and throw the discus the furthest? Who could ride their chariot the fastest? They conducted one contest after the other. We had our own contest of sorts with a race, proving that these games were not easy on top of this collina.
A big job at these tombs is preserving the paintings that decorate the walls. Each is unique and was applied throughout the ancient 8th to 1st centuries BCE. It's a rough job due to funding but also the nature of the chemicals and working underground, and we got to discuss this with the best of the best. The woman in charge of preserving the tombs along with her team (who has also worked in the Papal apartments and all over Sicily and Rome) told us all about the complications of working underground, and how important it is to save the culture. It was interesting to hear about how difficult it is and I was glad that we have such an educated woman looking out for the Etruscan culture.
And finally, I got to go exploring myself! Some friends and I climbed many staircases to admire the unique individual tombs that occupied the space below us. It was amazing. The amount of work that needed to go into the construction, the ancient artwork, and the clear care that was put into these tombs astounded me. I was thoroughly impressed.
Il Museo:
Necropoli:
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