In 1883, in the virtual absence of excavated sites, Dennis published his Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria, which first codified the use of Etruscan necropoleis as proxies for the architecture and urbanization of their time (Dennis, 1883). Since, Etruscan necropoleis have been a central topic within the field of Etruscology. These cities of the dead have become pathways to a more complete architectural understanding of Etruscan life, and among many others, specifically the volumes by Riva, Steingraber, and Naso have attempted to extract similarities to houses and cities (Naso, 1996; Riva, 2010; Steingräber, 2006). Interest in tomb architecture and the 3D modeling of tombs has increased in the last decade, notably from individuals and projects, among others, at the Tarquinia Project by the University of Milan and the Swedish Institute at San Giovenale (Marzullo, 2017, Tobin, 2015). However, there remains no comprehensive research on the tombs and necropoleis, and remarkably, the best authority remains Dennis’ 1883 guidebook. Many south Etruscan necropoleis remain entirely undocumented.

The Etruscan Tomb Survey aims to document these never-before-mapped Etruscan architectural tombs groups and necropoleis. This will be accomplished using LiDAR technology to create photo models of these tombs which will later be uploaded and compiled into a mapping database. Doing so will allow for an architectural understanding of these well-preserved tombs and invites further research questions concerning how these necropoleis may have played a larger role in relation to neighboring communities.