Etruscan Women
Images of an Egalitarian
Society
Although we have many
inscriptions in the Etruscan
Language, we cannot read it.
Consequently most of our
information about the Etruscans
comes from
•Their art
•Prejudiced accounts by Romans,
for whom they were the “bad
guys” of history; and
•Prejudiced accounts by the
Greeks, who were scandalized by
the freedoms of the women
Small Etruscan bust of Juno, 300-100 BCE
The Etruscans shared in the culture
of the 6th century BCE and later
Mediterranean.
Their art was influenced by Greeks;
they made statues in Terracotta
very similar in style to what the
Greeks made in marble.
They imported a lot of Greek
pottery, and as with other
Italian cultures, some of their
own wares resembled Greek
work.
This map shows the
extent of the Etruscan
area of political
influence in the 6-5
cent. BCE. There were
other Etruscan holdings
to the south as well.
Women’s Standing
Mirrors like this one, incised
with mythological themes,
are a popular Etruscan item.
Many of the mirrors have
inscriptions identifying the
mythological characters. This
shows that women were
expected to easily combine
their interest in beauty with
literacy.
Women’s tombs are as rich and
as common as men’s, and
women’s artifacts are prevalent.
Women were apparently equal
sharers in the society’s
resources.
Women’s names and images
show up frequently in
inscriptions as well, showing
their claim to public honor.
This ivory pyxis
(makeup box) was very
valuable; the materials
were imported from
Egypt and the
decorations beautifully
carved.
The animal motifs are a
common Etruscan
theme. Notice the
Mistress of Animals
figure on the bottom
row.
This scene from a tomb painting shows women and men both
sharing in a banquet. A nude slave boy serves them.
This was scandalous to the Greeks who visited Etruria, since they
were unaccustomed to men and women sharing such
celebrations. Theopompus (4th c. BCE) was appalled!
Most of the Etruscan
art that survives is
funerary art, simply
because the tombs,
buried for 2000
years, remained
intact. Funerary art
may show a different
realm of experience
from other forms of
art.
One consistent
theme throughout
Etruscan art seems to
be the shared
affection of husband
and wife.
Sarcophagi such as this one show them
in a fond embrace, the husband’s arm
protectively around the wife, as they
recline on a banquet couch.
The same togetherness found in the
banquet continues into the afterlife.
Some Etruscan sarcophagi
show couples nude or lightly
covered, indication that in
iconography at least, female
nudity was similar in meaning
to male nudity and implied,
probably, pleasure and
fertility.
Theopompus says that the
Etruscans practice wife
sharing (not strictly for
procreation either), and that
the women exercise, take care
of their bodies, and expose
them casually.
Theopompus also comments
that the Etruscans raise all the
children who are born, not
knowing whose they are.
Did women have the legal
right to decide this issue?
On this sarcophagus, the couple is shown
embracing in bed. Married sexuality and
friendship extends into death.
Apparently assertions of pleasure (dancing,
sex, banquets) were important elements of
the Etruscan response to the finality of
death – as well as of their lifestyle (if you
believe Theopompus . . .)
OK, not all Etruscans are young and
beautiful, even on their sarcophagi . . .
Like the Greeks and Romans, Etruscans had athletic events and
public entertainments. In contrast to Greek practice (but
aligned with Roman custom) Etruscan women attended
athletic events and games; their art sometimes shows them in
the audience.
Music and Dancing
Both men and women are shown dancing; sometimes female
professional dancers seem to be portrayed.
What is the status of these entertainers? Is it comparable to
that of Greek dancer/musicians?
This lampstand portrays a female
dancer playing cymbals, a
custom the Greeks and Romans
associated with the East.
Linguistically and in some
elements of material culture, the
Etruscans may be related to the
peoples of Asia Minor.
This Etruscan tomb
painting shows a
very expressive
dance.
Is it in a funerary
context?
Does it represent
social or ritual
dancing?
Is the performer professional or an individual associated with
the deceased on whose tomb the painting was found?
Why is dance so commonly portrayed in tombs?
In another tomb painting, men and women dance together in
this expressive mode.
Here a line dance of young women is shown.
Such dances were common throughout the Mediterranean and
Europe (and in many other societies as well).
The Greeks (cf. Alkman’s Parthenaia) celebrated their maidens’
dances; the Romans were not very focused on this sort of
entertainment.
Tomb of Hunting and Fishing
This tomb painting shows an
explicit sexual scene. Note
also the lower border design
which has a distinctly erotic
flavor.
Another tomb painting
shows a scene of two men,
one penetrating and one
receiving oral sex from a
woman, both whipping her –
scholars think this might
portray a Dionysian rite – or
are we back in the erotic
world of the Greek hetaira?
Other tombs show other
erotic scenes, including male
homoeroticism.
Etruscan Religion
Etruscan religion included a system
of learning the will of the gods,
haruspicy, which meant reading
omens from many different sources,
among them the entrails of sacrificial
animals.
The Etruscans (under Greek
influence?) also personified their
gods, though like the Romans, the
equivalence wasn’t too good.
In the center of each Etruscan center
was a temple dedicated to the Triad
of Tinia (Juppiter), Uni (Juno) and
Minerva.
This mirror shows
Chalchas (from Greek
mythology) reading
omens in the Etruscan
fashion
Etruscan iconography of their gods
could be very different from the
Greek. Here the sun god Usil (not
looking too much like Apollo) runs
across the waves in winged shoes.
In this mirror, Minerva assists
Hercules.
Some Etruscan sanctuaries show many
kourotrophos figurines, with votive figurines of
men, women, children and animals, highlighting
the Etruscan focus on family affection.
This woman holds a
pomegranate in her
hand, a symbol often
associated with Kore/
Persephone, who was
widely worshipped
among South Italian
Greeks. Perhaps the
Etruscans also favored
this goddess with votive
images.
This ivory figurine of a nude woman is a
theme not commonly seen in Greek or
Roman art, but apparently fairly
common for the Etruscans. It uses some
of the conventions for portraying nude
men – again indicating that female
nudity had a different meaning for the
Etruscans than for the Greeks & Romans.
She holds a breast with one hand, and a
fruit (pomegranate? Apple?) with her
other – both fertility indicators. The
figurine may represent the Etruscan
Venus (Aphrodite); Aphrodite was
shown nude in Greek and Roman art,
though in more directly sensual
contexts.
Juno
Etruscans and Romans
In contrast to Roman
naming practices, Etruscans
gave their children a wide
variety of names (more like
Greek practice)
Apparently (from
inscriptional evidence)
women’s names were also
important in describing
family genealogy.
Women apparently passed
their social rank to their
children (in contrast to
Rome where the father’s
family officially mattered).
The Etruscans had an alliance of
cities, which were ruled by
kings, and early in Rome’s
history, Rome was subject to
Etruscan rule.
Roman history abounds with
stories of Etruscan oppression
and tyranny, along with dislike
of kings as opposed to the
Romans’ Republican mode of
government.
Women are often the key
symbolic figures in such stories.
Roman women such as Lucretia
and Cloelia exhibit Roman
virtues and inspire Roman
political acts.
Etruscan women, such as
Tanaquil, symbolized to the
Romans the proud dominance of
the enemy.
Tanaquil read the omen that
made her husband, Lucius
Tarquinius, the king of Rome.
Her ability in reading omens
may signify a difference in
Etruscan and Roman views of
women’s sacred abilities.
In both societies, reading
omens was important for
many public events; the
microcosm and macrocosm
reflected the ordinary
cosmos.
But in Rome, men were the
augurs; women may have
shared that ability in Etruria.
The End of Etruscan Dominance
Etruscan military
expansion occurred at a
time when most of the
other peoples of Italy were
less wealthy and less
technically advanced. It
was led by individual kings
or leaders, rather than the
focus of the entire people.
After a defeat by Greeks in
Syracuse, Etruscan power
waned. By c. 350 BCE,
Romans had asserted their
dominance in Italy.
Although Etruscan langauge
persisted into the second century
BCE, their culture waned and was
incorporated into the Roman world.
Etruscan temple at Orvieto
finis