TOMBA DEI LETTI

The “Tomba dei Letti” (Tomb of the Beds) takes its name from a feature that distinguishes it from the others: the presence of two small beds next to the two main beds. The probable testimony to a tragedy that involved all the members of the family, even the youngest, who were laid down next to their parents, to face their greatest journey yet. The tomb is an admirable example of a 'chamber tomb', excavated and carved into the rock (red tuff with black scoria). A long dromos, accessible from a staircase, leads to two consecutive chambers: one for the placement of the larger funerary articles and the other to accommodate the deceased. The chambers are rich in architectural decorations that are still clearly visible and represent the beams present in the dwellings, testifying to the Etruscan belief in a life beyond death in which the deceased would need everything that had accompanied them in their earthly life: their home, furnishings, food, weapons and jewellery.

TOMBA DEL CERVO

The “Tomba del Cervo” (Tomb of the Deer) is a large semi-dado, a very common type of tomb, with a cubic shape excavated on three sides in the rock, with a very high facade on which a false door is carved, while the real access to the underground burial chamber is at the end of a dromos, a long corridor. It is dated to the Hellenistic period, between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century B.C., a phase in which the tombs in the peripheral centres regained a new splendour. The funerary architecture of this period is the expression of a changed relationship with death, experienced in a more anguished way partly as a result of the period being plagued by the attacks of the Romans, and in which the duality between the world of the living and the world of the dead is more clearly perceived; the concept of the earthly survival of souls is no longer there, replaced by that of the existence of a kingdom of the dead. Inside the very large chamber there are no typical funerary beds because a couple of centuries ago they were replaced by sarcophagi in order to accommodate a much larger number of deceased members of the same family. Some sarcophagi were found during excavations and can be admired in the Archaeological Museum of Barbarano. To the left of the tomb is a flight of steps carved into the rock leading to the upper terrace on which ceremonies, sacrifices and funeral rites were performed in favour of the souls of the dead who resided in the realm of the dead. On the wall of the staircase is a bas-relief depicting two animals facing each other. Two theories exist as to how the scene should be interpreted: a wolf attacking a deer on its nose, in which the latter represents Etruria and the wolf represents Rome, in a metaphor for Rome's attack on Etruscan territories at that time; or a hunting scene with a dog blocking a deer, to celebrate the typical activity of the aristocratic class, and to immortalise its value on the family tomb.

TOMBA DELLA REGINA

The “Tomba della Regina” (Tomb of the Queen) is a grandiose three-sided semi-dado carved into the rock, 14m wide and 10m high, dating from the 5th century BC. Its name probably derives from the majesty of its size. This type of tomb is recurrent along the rocky wall facing the plateau of San Giuliano on which the ancient settlement stood, and recalls the expression of new changes in Etruscan society: new social classes emerge and fill the gap that once existed between aristocrats and the humble population. Indeed, funerary architecture features recurring models that are much more modest than the ostentatious splendour of the nobility of previous periods. The Tomb of the Queen has survived in excellent condition, its facade still showing well-preserved carved decorations, with a beautiful moulding at the top and two imposing doors almost 5m high with a carved Doric frame. Inside there are twin burial chambers, each with four beds, benches for funerary offerings and loculi (niches) for interments. Outside there is a side staircase leading to the upper terrace on which the funerary stones were placed: engraved stone slabs representing the deceased, a kind of tombstone, which then became an object of worship. Sacred rites and sacrifices in favour of the deceased were also performed here by priests who prepared for their entrance into the afterlife by interceding with the gods.

TUMULO CIMA

In the Chiusa Cima area is the main necropolis, one of the largest in existence, comprising hundreds of tombs spanning a very wide period of time, from the 8th to the 3rd century BC. They are mainly dug into the tufa walls, on several levels, or grouped around small burial squares. Undoubtedly, the most impressive monument is the Cima Tomb, discovered in 1921 and named after the locality. It is a large tumulus over 25m in diameter with seven tombs from different periods of the Orientalizing Age, modelled on the tombs of Cerveteri. The name of the aristocratic family that owned the tomb is unfortunately unknown. The oldest tomb faces northwest, where the Etruscans placed the gods of the Underworld on the ceiling. The main burial chamber, at the back, has four pillars carved directly from the excavation of the rock; the ceiling was rebuilt in concrete in the 1980s following a collapse, but this allowed the recovery of objects and ceramic fragments, which escaped the raiders who had plundered the tomb, and which have allowed us to provide a date of the 7th century BC. Inside the chamber you can see a stone bed carved in imitation of wooden beds, and the back wall must have been painted with two rampant felines. This image is also found painted on a vase from one of the tombs in the same tumulus, probably both decorations being the work of the same painter. Note the detail of the ceilings of the side chamber that represent both the double pitch, which in houses is covered with tiles, and the typical radial pattern of the beams of Etruscan huts.

TOMBE A PORTICO

The evocative series of so-called "Tombe a Portico” (Portico Tombs) sees a succession of simple rock tombs with a single chamber in a first lower level, with double-pitched roofs and beds with shaped legs, overlooked by an upper level of rooms excavated in the rock with a central column complete with surviving bases, open at the front and therefore completely visible. The question remains whether this is a type found only in this necropolis, with tombs surmounted by a loggia for burial rites, or whether it is in fact a second level of chamber tombs left exposed due to the collapse of the front wall.