Etruscan Culture Analysis

This week’s art lesson focused on the Etruscan culture and their contribution to ancient art and its development. The Etruscan’s were a small, but powerful force of people who greatly impacted early Rome. Sadly, they are not given as much credit as due, because not much of their literature or works have survived. However, what has survived shows a brilliant and inventive culture that greatly impacted the surrounding civilizations. While the Greeks focused more on creating art for the living. The Etruscans, similar to the Egyptians, focused on creating art around the deceased. The tombs that have been found have been tediously decorated with artwork. One of the works of art that I found to be interesting was the “Phersu and his victim” From the Tomb of the Augurs, late 6th century B.C.E. In this work of art Phersu, a mythological figure is playing a game with the soul of a dead person. This is horrific, however it tells us useful information about the culture through the art that was created at this time. The art shows us how important the afterlife was to the Etruscan culture. …show more content…
Another example of the Etruscan’s great appreciation for the afterlife would be the Sarcophagus of the Spouses from 520 BCE. Found in an Etruscan tomb was this amazing piece of art. Essentially it is a large container that was used to hold remains, the top could be lifted off like a lid. The couple was created to look lifelike and relaxed as they lay next to each other in an intimate setting. I found this piece to be extremely interesting because it not only depicted the culture of the time, it is also incredibly creative and it depicts intimacy and human emotions that can be relative even