Apollo

Dating back to 510-500 BCE, this life size image stands at a height of 5’10. It is made of Terracotta which is raw clay. His body is well developed and musculature as seen around the legs and calfs, as well as portraying an archaic smile. He is very well dressed in a chiton. This is because Etruscans didn’t represent their Gods in the nude. Therefore he is concealed by a rippling robe. He holds a dynamic upright stance of archaic greek Kouroi. This gives off the sense of a purposeful movement, a prominent feature of Etruscan sculpting and painting.

This is a photo of the original location of Apollo. He was placed on the roof of an Etruscan temple of Veii as shown. Also, on top of this temple was a recreation of a four figure narrative scene that shows Apollo fighting Hercules. The story is told that they were fighting for possession of a deer that is sacred to Diana, goddess of the moon and hunting. This temple like many Etruscan temples resembled the Greek styled temples, primarily by the post-lintel structures.

Burial Chamber tomb of the reliefs

This photo above shows a burial chamber tomb. Dating back to the third century BCE, this tomb of reliefs is located at Cerveteri, which is near Rome. This burial chamber is carved to imitate a house because it was a burial site for a family. Legend has it that the Etruscan and the Romans tried to make it as comfortable as possible for them in the afterlife. The walls were plastered and painted realistic colors, and it was full of furnishings. Some were carved, and there were forms of Stucco, a slow-drying type of plaster that is easily molded. On the columns were carvings of household items such as pots, jugs, robes, and axes. All of which looked real enough to hang from the ceiling. There were even carvings of animals on the lower back wall as a relief. This was used to represent the family pet, such as a cat or even dog.