The Etruscans – An Ancient Italian Civilization

The Etruscans
June 20 to November 25, 2012

Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History, generally referred to as PAC Museum, is holding a world exclusive exhibition of Etruscan artefacts  It features over 200 objects belonging to our common world heritage, bearing witness to the many facets of this ancient civilization. Exhibits include jewellery, bowls, chalices, vases, sculptures, figurines, large murals, architectural elements and ornamentation, funeral urns, amphorae, and other works of art, grouped together under various themes. In addition to their priceless historical value and significance, they also posses a great deal of aesthetic beauty.

Who were the Etruscans? A visitor to the PAC Museum will be able to have a glance at some members of these ancient people in the very last room of the exhibition. A unique display of sculptured portraits excavated from Etruscan burial places awaits there, as seen in the photo just above and two images below.

The two heads below of an older man and a young woman were modelled in clay - terracotta with care and delicacy, making them life-like. 

Many theories have been put forward about the origins of the Etruscans They spoke a language that did not resemble other Italic languages. It is speculated that they might have came from the ancient Mesopotamia region, and/or some of them might have arrived from Northern Europe. A large map in the first exhibition room shows the possible migration routes before they firmly established themselves in ancient Italy.

The Etruscan civilization developed between the 9th and 1st centuries BC. Their territory was known as Etruria. It was renamed to Tuscany in the late Middle Ages. To the left you can see a PAC Museum's exhibition hall with Etruria landscape, the present day Tuscany, with several large, everyday use pottery pieces in the middle. The exhibition also presents other food vessels as those, for instance, shown in the following two pictures.

The ornate terracotta vessels, used for food and in celebratory ceremonies, are not the only objects that speak about the Etruscan way of life. Of great interest are also colourful images traced from frescoes.

                                       
Those are remarkable. They are life-size copies of wall frescoes discovered inside the Tomb of the Trinclinium, Tarquinia, dated around 470 BC. The copies were made by Carlo Raspi in 1832. He used pen and watercolour in tracing paper. A number of his works are currently on display at PAC Museum. They line the walls of one of the exhibition halls. They not only contribute to the overall aesthetic value of all the exhibited items in that room, but also most directly point to the spirit of the people and their 'joie de vivre'. 

This current Etruscan exhibition at the PAC Museum is quite remarkable. I urge everybody to visit it. Your knowledge about our common cultural roots will increase tremendously, and you will start appreciating this ancient people who preceded us so long ago. You will also be able to see a very new pavilion, Mariners’ House, that PAC Museum has just inaugurated with this new The Etruscans exhibition.

To find out more about this exhibition, visit the Museum's website.

It is interesting to note that Etruscans called themselves Rasenna. There is some evidence they might have even founded Rome. The very first Roman emperors were actually Etruscans. You can read more about them in this Wikipedia entry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization


List of Photos as they appear in the text

1. The Etruscans – An Ancient Italian Civilization, Official Poster, PAC Museum, Montreal, 2012, Image courtesy of PAC Museum.

2. Men and Women from Etruria, Terracota, PAC Museum, Montreal, 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.

3. Head of an older man, Terracota, Cerveteri, probably late 2^nd – 1^st quarter of 1^st century BC, Vatican Museum, Vatican City, PAC Museum, 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.

4. Portrait of a young woman, Terracota, Caere, Vignali, 1^st half of 3^rd century BC, Vatican Museum, Vatican City, PAC Museum 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.

5. Etruria-Tuscany landscape, Exhibition Hall, PAC Museum, 2012, Image courtesy of PAC Museum.

6. Olla for wine and water, dark red impasto, Tarquinia, Boccharis Tomb, 700-690 BC, National Archeological Museum, Tarquinia, PAC Museum, 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.

7. Food Storage Vessel, red impasto, painted decoration, Caere, 2^nd half of 7^th century BC, Musée du Louvre, PAC Museum 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.

8. and 9. Copy of an Etruscan fresco, Pen and watercolour on tracing paper, Carlo Raspi, 1832, Tomb of the Trinclinium, Tarquinia, about 470 BC, PAC Museum, 2012, Image courtesy of PAC Museum.

10. Horsemen, Copy of an Etruscan fresco, Pen and watercolour on tracing paper, Carlo Raspi, 1832, Tomb of the Trinclinium, Tarquinia, about 470 BC, PAC Museum, 2012,  Photo by Nadia Slejskova.

11. Female head, Terracotta, Etruria, 400-200 BC, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, PAC Museum 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova. 

12. Copy of an Etruscan fresco, Pen and watercolour on tracing paper, Carlo Raspi, 1832, Tomb of the Trinclinium, Tarquinia, about 470 BC, PAC Museum, 2012, Image courtesy of PAC Museum.

13. Gold jewelry, 7^th century BC, National Archeological Museum, Florence, PAC Museum, Montreal, 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.