Fragmented Images: The Last Tomb Paintings of Tarquinia

Abstract

Summary Cultural decline as a result of the Roman conquest is usually invoked to explain the gradual disappearance of Tarquinian tomb paintings during the third century BC. By contrast, this paper argues that, first, the late tomb paintings of Tarquinia markedly differed from their predecessors by decorating individual burials (fragmentation), as opposed to entire chamber tombs, which should be seen as a culturally meaningful development in the iconographic approach towards representing the deceased; and that, second, the disappearance of this time‐honoured type of monument be seen as part of wider changes in the ways in which Tarquinian and other Etruscan elites chose to materialize their ideologies during the cultural and political realignments of the period of the Roman conquest.

Funerary Transformations in an Etrusco-Italic Community: Social Display and Austerity in Hellenistic Chiusi

“…The Tomba Matausni serves as an interesting example of this phenomenon, as it has exquisite alabaster urns and also one poorly made terracotta one. As mentioned before, this changing economic behaviour of élites can also be seen in Tarquinia during the third century BC, which Roth (2013) saw as crucial evidence for a different social function for funerary culture. For Chiusi as well, this role had seemingly changed, from the impressive prerogative of élites to display wealth in the Archaic and Classical periods, to a culture that was relatively widespread and seemed more egalitarian in nature.…”

“…This new position within the Italic world caused existing strategies of representation and ideology to become outdated and questioned existing paradigms of self-definition. This development is also what Roth (2013: 199–200) stresses in his analysis of Tarquinian tomb painting, which was abandoned at the end of the third century BC. For him, this transforming Italic context is the main reason why Tarquinian élites needed to change their strategies of representation.…”

“…I argue that Chiusine funerary culture was innovative and adapted very well to a changing market and to new social and cultural needs, without there being a ‘decline’. As previously mentioned, Chiusi was not entirely unique in this respect and it is also crucial to keep in mind that funerary culture was almost always changing in some form or another because of its dependency on socio-cultural factors (Roth, 2013: 191). However, I will argue that the much more radical nature of the change in Chiusi, combined with the peculiar quantitative shift, makes Chiusi stand out from the other Etruscan cities and indicates a transformation of the function of funerary culture and a change in its position within Chiusine habitus .…”

“…It is therefore perhaps not a coincidence that the early stages of funerary transformation in Chiusi occurred during a period of intensified interaction and interconnectedness, stimulated by the Roman conquest. As previously discussed, this undermined the way élites represented themselves and necessitated a transition towards more appropriate strategies (Roth, 2013: 199–200; Warden, 2013: 363). This shift in élite representation combined with the uncertain political climate created opportunities for non-élites who adopted a more timely form of status communication.…”

“…This question is not limited to Chiusi, however, as late Etruscan culture seems to have experienced a rather general movement towards less extravagant funerary display. Perugia and Volterra had a somewhat similar quantitative shift, but without the disappearance of the more expensive containers and tombs (Benelli, 2001: 250–1), whereas Tarquinia shows an opposite pattern to these two cities (Roth, 2013); therefore, Chiusi is still a unique case. Traditionally, this late Etruscan situation has been explained by the rise of Rome, overshadowing and overpowering local cultures, invoking an idea of ‘decline’ 3 .…”