The Etruscans

The Etruscans

people emerged and developed in the western Mediterranean, eventually controlling almost the entire Italian peninsula

Etruscan Temples

Etruscan architecture is best exemplified in their temple constructions. Etruscan temples, though influenced by the Greeks, were built from wood and mud brick that was often covered in stucco, plaster, or painted for decoration. The temple had a stone or tufa (a type of volcanic rock) foundation, and the roof was covered in protective terra cotta tiles. Later on, some temples eventually adopted stone walls as well as solid "Tuscan" columns.

Tuscan columns

 were a simplified Doric order using Ionic measurements. It possessed a base, an unfluted shaft, and a simplified capital. The entablature was often undecorated.

Etruscan Tombs

The Etruscans practiced both cremation and inhumation, burying their dead in tombs, and depending on the family's wealth, tombs can differ in size, shape, and elaborate decorations

The Tomb of the Leopard

 is one of the best-known tombs, known for its mural of "The Banqueting Scene", divided into two panels: the pediment and the frieze. The pediment bears heraldic leopards, while the frieze depicts a typical symposium, with women also in attendance.

The Sarcophagus of the Spouses 

is an example of a funerary sculpture as a coffin lid. The figures were made similar to the Greek Archaic style with stiff modeling and generic features, however, unlike the Greek style, the Etruscan sculptures show obvious affection.