In the Harry Potter books and movies, Professor Trelawney taught a class in divination, the art of seeing into the future. What lies in the future? What is my destiny? What is my great purpose in life? These are questions that people have asked since the beginning of time.

In this lesson, you'll learn about a culture that was especially curious about the will of the gods and devoted their resources to understanding the gods' demands and desires. Thunder, the flight patterns of birds, even the livers of sacrificed animals and natural phenomena were studied and thought to be expressions of the divine will. Trained priests known as augurs (which, you may remember, is a profession in the world of Harry Potter) interpreted these messages for the people.

OBJECTIVES

• Identify the aspects of the Etruscan culture that contributed to their art.

• Explain the role of religion in Etruscan society.

• Discuss characteristics of Etruscan sculpture.

• Identify two types of tomb art.

VOCABULARY

THE SECULAR AND SACRED IN ETRURIA

Religious and secular matters were not separate in this culture. Even the towns were laid out according to sacred rules and coordinated with the "four quarters" of the heavens. With dozens of deities, the Etruscans had plenty of temples and rituals. Etruscan art, as you'll learn, was heavily influenced by the strong religious beliefs of the people including the idea that their lives were controlled by fate.

Read this short article about Etruscan art and make note of the votive offerings.. 

The Etruscans created sculptures primarily in three materials:

• bronze

• terra cotta

• stone

Although they were more famous for their bronze figures, the Etruscans did some very interesting things with stone, as shown in this example.

With the straightforward expression and crowning head of hair, the creature almost resembles a sphinx, doesn't he? Centaurs combine the strength and speed of the horse with the intelligence of a human.

Now let's turn to works in bronze. Bronze is an alloy, a mixture of copper and tin. A natural patina forms on bronze that turns it to a dark, dull color and protects it from oxidization, which has helped many pieces to survive.

These examples are from the early period of Etruscan art. Notice that the Etruscans do not seem to be as concerned with correct proportions as the Greeks were.  

In addition to human figures, the Etruscan subjects included mythological figures such as the chimera, a "she-monster" comprising a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail.

Take a close look at the Chimera di Arezzo sculpture. Notice how shadow and light are used to create shapes and lines on the statue. You can also see that the curved shape of the body leads the eye to the grimacing face; the creature looks to be in pain. Notice how the mouth and eyes are almost human-shaped.

Artwork often reflects the political and cultural conditions of a particular time period. During this time, the Romans and the Etruscans were at war.

How might the chimera statue in the example above reflect Etruscan fears of the Romans?

What effect does the sharp pointing of the pieces of mane and fur create?

TOMB ART

Art was an important part of Etruscan life and death. The Etruscans had an elaborate burial system. The typical tomb was in the form of a tumulus (sometimes as large as 103 feet in diameter), underneath which there were multi-chambered tombs cut out of the tufa.

Tombs were arranged in rows in a cemetery, creating a necropolis, or "city of the dead."

Check out this aerial view of a typical Etruscan necropolis.

Inside the tomb was an amazing sight: Most of the Etruscan paintings that have survived are wall frescoes from these tombs, which provide an important example of pre-Roman figurative art. Although painted tombs are among the most famous, only the nobility could afford tomb frescoes.

Polychrome reliefs and frescoes decorating tombs indicate that from the earliest times, the Etruscans skillfully used color. These frescoes were painted on top of fresh plaster. When the plaster dried, the painting became an integral part of the wall, which is why it managed to survive through the ages. Artists used animal hair for their brushes and ground stones and minerals for the pigments that provided color for these frescoes. The scenes in the frescoes and reliefs portrayed stories both from mythology and everyday life.

Here is an example of painting from an Etruscan tomb.

The Etruscans also carved reliefs into the tomb chamber to make it look like a lived-in house.

Here is a close-up of one of the reliefs.

The Legacy of the Etruscans

The Romans were profoundly influenced by the Etruscans. Etruscan art and burial rituals made their way into Roman society. In fact, the upper classes of Rome may have been descendents of the Etruscans. The Etruscans left something else of great value to the Romans: wine. Grapes were originally native to the Arabian Peninsula, but the Etruscans planted them in Italian soil and probably introduced grapes and wine to Italy around the ninth century BC.

LET'S REVIEW!

In this lesson, you covered the following topics:

• The Etruscans, a great civilization that lasted approximately eight hundred years, lived in the area we now call Tuscany in the northwest of Italy.

• Because of abundant mineral resources, they were a wealthy nation and created great art, especially bronze and terra cotta statues. They were dominated by their religion and believed strongly in fate.

• Much of what we know about Etruscan art comes from their tomb art, including painted frescoes and carved reliefs. The human figures in these artworks tend to emphasize expressive faces and arms. The statues are shown with a smile similar to the Greek Archaic smile.

• The Romans eventually conquered the Etruscans and adopted much of their culture.

Complete the quiz before moving on.