Banditaccia Necropolis, Cerveteri

Necropoli della Banditaccia

Italy · Lazio

NecropolisUnknownUNESCO · 2004
Approximate period900 BCE — 100 BCEIron Age and Etruscan period See on the map ↓

In brief

The large cemetery of ancient Caere contains thousands of tombs arranged along streets and small squares. The internal layout of the excavated tombs provides important information about Etruscan domestic architecture.

What was found?

  • 1Monumental tumuli

    Tombs covered by earthen mounds are entered through corridors; they contain rock-cut chambers. These structures document the funerary architecture of high-status families.

  • 2House-shaped burial chambers

    The rock-cut chambers imitate the architectural details and furnishings of houses. They help in understanding Etruscan domestic architecture, which has largely been lost.

  • 3Cube-shaped tombs

    These tombs are arranged in regular rows along the cemetery's roads. They make the necropolis's city-like plan visible.

  • 4Tomb of the Reliefs

    Everyday objects are depicted in stucco reliefs and paintings in the tomb of the Matuna family. The depictions, ranging from kitchen utensils to work tools, provide insight into Etruscan domestic life.

What does it point to?

At Banditaccia, spaces created for the dead replicate the houses and urban layout of the living. The size and furnishings of the tombs show that social status was also visible in funerary architecture.

What did it teach us?

  1. It enabled us to understand the architecture of Etruscan houses through their detailed reproductions in tombs.
  2. It showed that cemeteries could be planned as streets, small squares, and neighborhoods.
  3. It documented changes in burial practices over time through different tomb types.

Images

Cerveteri, tombe a dado in via dei monti ceriti e via monti della tolfa, 01
Sailko · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Villanovan and Etruscan
Coordinates
41.9991°, 12.0968°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. it.wikipedia.org
  3. İtalya Kültür Bakanlığı – Lazio

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