The exhibition focuses on the period of greatest prosperity and expansion for the Etruscans - from the 6th to the 4th century BC - illustrating the remarkable development of this civilisation's most important cities in Latium: Veius (specialised in the production of terracotta pieces destined for the decoration of buildings and in ceramic ex-voto sculptures), Cerveteri (with its spectacular funerary architecture and precious gold-work), Vulcis (with its grandiose sculptures) and Tarquinia (with its necropolis of frescoed tombs that constitutes the  most important example of painting from antiquity to have survived prior to Pompeii).
Whilst sharing a clearly discernible common cultural base, each of these city-states specialised in a certain type of artistic production, developing its own lifestyle and trade practices. Having absorbed the strong influences of ceramic-ware produced in Corinth, eastern Greece and later Attica (undisputed masterpieces of Greek painting) into their own figurative culture, the Etruscans in turn exerted a powerful influence on neighbouring Rome, particularly in terms of religious practices and the symbolism associated with authority (in 396 BC Rome conquered Veius and extended its sphere of influence over the whole of southern Etruria).

This exceptional archaeological event will be documented by numerous essays - including an unprecedented text on the magical culture of the Orientalising Period - and richly illustrated, with all the items on display in the exhibition carefully catalogued.  The publication will also present a number of original theories concerning the Etruscans together with items that have never previously been on public display, such as finds from the Tarquinian port of Gravisca and the life-size reconstructions of tombs and temples featured in the show itself.

Published by Electa, the catalogue - which will stand as the most up-to-date work on recent theories and finds concerning the Etruscan civilisation - is edited by Mario Torelli and Anna Maria Moretti Sgubini.

The Etruscans. The Ancient Metropolises of Latium
edited by Mario Torelli and Anna Maria Moretti Sgubini

Texts by: Gilda Bartoloni, Francesca Boitani, Maria Cataldi Dini, Giovanni Colonna, Rita Cosentino, Lucio Fiorini, Simona Fortunelli, Francesco Marcattili, Marina Martelli, Anna Maria Moretti Sgubini, Antonia Rallo, Stephan Steingräber, Maria Antonietta Rizzo, Maurizio Sannibale, Mario Torelli

22.5 × 34 cm - 296 pages
400 colour illustrations
hardback
EAN 978883706620-8

Cover illustration
Fictile antefix with gorgoneion; from Veius, Portonaccio sanctuary. Rome, Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia

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