Items for the “last meal” discovered in an ancient grave
In the archaeological park of Vulci in central Italy, archaeologists opened an intact two-chamber Etruscan tomb, 2,600 years old, which was discovered in April and before has still remained untouched.
Two-chamber tomb located in the necropolis of Osteria in Vulci, a wealthy Etruscan city in what is now northern Lazio, Central Italy , has been preserved 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 is sealed.
In detail, the tomb is very large, two-chambered, carved in tuff, and remarkable from an architectural point of view, notes Arkeonews.
Simona Carosi, the archaeologist in charge of the archaeological and natural park, emphasizes that this find is “unusual takes us back to a real funeral feast, as 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 have 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 object is characterized by a partition carved into the rock, which creates an arch between the dromos, then there is a short corridor with steps, and a 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”.