Three-Room Ancient Etruscan Tomb Discovered in Italy

A new three-room Etruscan tomb has been unearthed in the municipality of Barbarano Romano, which would have been right in the heart of southern Etruria, Italy, amid ongoing excavations in and around the municipality which have already revealed another significant tomb, and Etruscan artefacts.

The Etruscan necropolis of San Giuliano is carved into the rocks on the Marturanum Park, a protected conservation area in the municipality of Barbarano Romano, on the road connecting Rome and Viterbo. It has recently offered up yet another archaeological surprise, in the form of a partially-hidden, three-room tomb attached to the already-excavated Queen’s Tomb.

The ‘Tomb of the Queen’ (Tomba della Regina), a three-sided structure carved into the rock, dating from the 5th century BC and thought to be one of the most significant tombs in the necropolis, was selected to undergo restoration work this season.

During some clearing and cleaning work being carried out around the Queen’s Tomb, archaeologists in Italy noticed what appeared to be a second, partially-buried monumental Etruscan tomb, and after clearing the vegetation around it, found the structure in full.

Subsequent excavations uncovered the perfectly-preserved, three-chambered tomb, adjacent to three semi-flint doors, underneath the Queen’s Tomb. Experts suggest it was constructed in the 5th or 4th century BC, not long after the nearby Queen’s Tomb.

The burial chamber is also a testament to the advanced building techniques of the Etruscan culture, who were evidently able to excavate funerary structures in cliffs and rock faces.
Conservation and adaptation work on the newly-discovered tomb is set to be completed in the following months.

The Etruscan necropolis of San Giuliano, Italy, presents the greatest variety and richness of burial processes of any known Etruscan tomb, according to archaeologists. It presents a variety of artefacts and burial chambers thought to date right through from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century BC.

An Earlier Etruscan Tomb Discovered in Italy

In April last year another Etruscan tomb was discovered and excavated in the Necropolis of the Osteria, in Vulci, within the municipality of Montalto di Castro, Italy. The tomb was sealed, and inside there were numerous ceramics found, including a collection of pottery, amphorae, utensils, cups, and a bronze cauldron. The artefacts were all found in good condition, including a table cloth that was used in the Etruscan religious ritual of the ‘last meal’, a food offering burned inside the tomb before it was sealed.

This excavation was carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the province of Viterbo and southern Etruria.