In Italy, an intact Etruscan tomb was found during excavations

Items for the “last meal” discovered in an ancient grave

In the archaeological park of Vulci in central Italy, archaeologists have uncovered an intact, 2,600-year-old two-chamber Etruscan tomb that was discovered in April and remains untouched.

The two-chamber tomb, located in the necropolis of Osteria in Vulci, a wealthy Etruscan city in what is now northern Lazio, central Italy, remains intact and contains extremely rare remains and artifacts, reports arkeonews.net.

The excavation campaign of the Vulci Foundation is carried out by the General Archaeological Directorate of Belle Arti e Paesaggio in the province of Viterbo and southern Etruria.

The tomb is estimated to be around 2,600 years old and contains a rich collection of pottery, amphorae, tableware, goblets and a bronze cauldron. All items are in excellent condition, including a tablecloth that was used in the Etruscan religious ritual of the “last meal,” a food sacrifice burned inside the tomb before it was sealed.

In detail, the tomb is very large, two-chambered, carved into tuff, and is remarkable from an architectural point of view, notes Arkeonews.

Simone Carosi, the archaeologist in charge of the archaeological and natural park, emphasizes that this find “in an unusual way returns us to a real funerary feast, as it was organized by the Etruscans centuries ago.”

The Etruscan city in Latium-Maremma on the border with Tuscany is considered one of the main centers of Etruria, playing an important role in trade, since the team of archaeologists who opened the ancient tomb encountered an extensive collection of pottery and wine amphorae, also from Greece, most likely from ancient peace. island of Chios.

Archaeologists discovered a large tomb with two chambers dug into soft volcanic tuff. The first chamber contained four Etruscan transport amphorae for local wine. The second chamber contained amphorae and pottery from Eastern Greece, Ionia, Corinth, as well as local production, including black bucchero pottery. Archaeologists believe that the two amphorae in Chamber B were brought from the island of Chios, where the most valuable wine in the Greco-Roman world was produced. A tripod bowl and iron objects were also found in Chamber B.

According to the director of the Vulci Foundation, Carlo Casi, “apparently the site is characterized by a partition carved into the rock, which creates an arch between the dromos, that is, a short corridor with steps, and the vestibule, from which there was access to two chambers, in front and on the left : one, ordinary, is missing on the right, obviously because this space was already occupied by other tombs.”