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Etruscan by Def in i t ion : Paper s in Honour o f Syb i l l e

Haynes , MBE, ed i t ed by Jud i th Swadd l ing and

Ph i l ip Perk ins (London : Br i t i sh Museum Pres s , 2009 ) .

The Br i t i sh Museum Research Pub l i ca t ion no . 173 .

111 pages .

by Lisa C. Pieraccini

Defining the Etruscans has been the goal of many books, articles and collections, butEtruscan by Definition: Papers in Honour of Sybille Haynes lives up to its title because itoffers a rich collection of topics ranging from the identification of the Etruscans in the18th century (David Ridgway) to the examination of recent controversial developmentsin the study of the Etruscan language (John Penney) and DNA analysis (Philip Perkins).What falls in between is an assortment of contributions that discuss pottery, bronzes,architecture and ritual. The lack of Etruscan literature has forced scholars to wrestle with“defining” all aspects of Etruscan culture, when in fact careful and thoughtful studies per-mit Etruscan art and archaeology to speak for themselves. Such studies are found in thiswork dedicated to Sybille Haynes, whose own outstanding achievements, of which herwork on Etruscan culture is only one, are summarized in two inspiring initial pages ofautobiography and bibliography.

David Ridgway’s paper (“James Byres and the Definition of the Etruscans”) appro-priately starts off the book by providing a thorough and informative account of James Byres’life as an antiquarian in 18th century Rome. The article pays tribute to Sybille Haynes’ owninterests in “Etruria Britannica.”1 While in Rome Byres was in the company of ThomasJenkins, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Johann Joachim Winckelmann and Sir WilliamHamilton, just to name a few. But Byres looked beyond Rome to Etruria for his own intel-lectual interests and compiled a manuscript to be called The History of the Etrurians that wasnever finished, accompanied by drawings of Tarquinian tombs by the Polish painter,Franciszek Smuglewicz. Ridgway neatly and clearly traces Byres’ incomplete manuscript anddrawings to a certain Frank Howard, who published a selection of Smuglewicz’ illustrations(but no text) as Byres’ Hypogeai (1842). Ridgway stresses that Byres, who was a trained

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architect, should be credited not only with placing importance on Etruscan inscriptions, butalso with the tomb plans prepared for his book. Ridgway further emphasizes, by providingreaders with an excerpt of Byres’ manuscript notes, that Byres was dedicated to showingthat“Arts, science and literature in general seem to have been cultivated in Italy long beforeRome began to make any figure…” (2-8). More studies dedicated to the reception of theEtruscans, a fascinating topic which tells us much about misnomers, misconceptions, andmistaken identity, would surely be a welcome addition to Etruscan studies.

Dyfri Williams honors Sybille Haynes by examining two vases in the BritishMuseum, named respectively in honour of Elizabeth Hamilton Gray (c.1801-1887), thefemale pioneer of Etruscan studies in Britain, and Francesca R. Serra Ridgway, whoseuntimely death in 2008 cut short her participation in this volume. The Hamilton Gray Vase,an Etruscan-Geometric bichrome urn once owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton Gray andher husband, was sold at Sotheby’s in 1888 – only then to make its way back through Japanto England where it was purchased by the British Museum in 2007. Although the vase hasno context, Williams convincingly places it in southern Etruria at the end of the 8th centuryBC. He argues that the Ridgway Ram Vase is also from southern Etruria, dates to the 7thcentury BC, and can be traced back to Phoenician metal oinochoai with ram’s head spouts.It has since been assigned by Massimiliano di Fazio to the Narce Painer,2 and bears witnessto a rich period of cross pollination between Etruria and the east. Laura Ambrosini (“AnAttic Red-Figure Kylix from Veii and the Distribution of the Zalamea Group in Etruria”)and Judith Swaddling (“Shake Rattle and Rôle: Sistra in Etruria?”) take up arguments thatdiscuss, essentially, what is not Etruscan – which is certainly useful.

Studies that focus on Etruscan innovations disguised as Roman are a welcome sight.F. Prayon offers such a study in “The Atrium as Italo-Etruscan Architectural Concept andas Societal Form.” In a few pages Prayon elucidates the origins of the Roman atrium house,found in the houses at Marzabotto, tombs at Cerveteri (reflecting domestic architecture) andtemples from Veii, just to name a few. Simply stated, this is a brilliant description of the ori-gins of the atrium house in ancient Italy.

"Etruscan Rock-Cut Chamber Tombs: Origins, Characteristics, Local and ForeignElements” by Stephan Steingräber pulls together a nice synthesis of this unique facet of theEtruscan landscape. Important parallels in Asia Minor are discussed and oblige us to betterunderstand Etruscan connections with this area. Steingräber’s analysis shows that Etruscanrock-cut tombs faced the urban centers – a significant contribution to the better understand-ing of the relationship between cities and tombs.

Nancy A. Winter investigates Etruscan sphinx acroteria (“Solving the Riddle ofthe Sphinx on the Roof”) and traces the earliest Greek mainland and Etruscan sphinxacroteria to the same period, namely, 580-575 BC. Most notable in her study is the possi-bility that Tarquinius Superbus, a descendant of the Corinthian Demaratus who mostlikely paid for the S. Ombono temple in Rome, could have been emphasizing hisCorinthian and Etruscan heritage by decorating the S. Ombono temple with bothCorinthian and Etruscan roof elements. Due to studies like this, the “cultural complexityof Etruscan temples” (71) may be further understood.

Jean-René Jannot’s fascinating topic (“The Lotus, Poppy and other Plants in

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Etruscan Funerary Contexts”) is a rich contribution indeed, given the abundant plants, treesand flowers present in Etruscan art, especially tomb painting. It is not easy to unravel themeaning beyond these decorative motifs. However, Jannot not only traces the symbolic ormetaphorical meanings behind these plants, but also the pharmacological and medicinalaspects of plants in the ancient Mediterranean, especially the lotus and poppy. Jannot remindsus of the Lotus Eaters in the Odyssey, IX. 91-7 – the so-called oblivion plant. His investiga-tion also considers the variety of trees seen in Tarquinian tomb painting. In fact, he describesa banqueter holding a lotus flower on the back wall of Tomb 5513 in Tarquinia, but to theleft of this banqueter a female stands in a rich green robe and she too appears to be holdinga lotus bud. What does this mean? Jannot offers the intriguing argument that the lotus budsare connected to the underworld.

Other papers discuss iconographical interpretation and material culture. A. Romualdidiscusses a bronze workshop at Chiusi and G. Bagnasco Gianni explores depictions of Umaeleon engraved bronze mirrors. Funerary practice is treated by S. Bruni in “Rituals and Ideologyof the Orientalizing Aristocracies: Pisa and the Origins of the Funus Imaginarium.”

The book ends with studies that deal with language and DNA analysis. J. Penney(“The Etruscan Language in its Italic Context”) discusses the significant role languageplays in the origin of a people. He examines the famous Lemnian stele and concludes thatEtruscan and Lemnian may be related, descending from a common ancestor he calls“Proto-Tyrrhenian” (89). Philip Perkins follows with a lengthy study of the most recentdata on DNA and Etruscan identity. This is a hefty contribution to the old question ofEtruscan origins (again) and should be read by anyone interested in the topic. Perkinswarns of DNA studies that are inconclusive. But he does expound on maternal mtDNAanalysis “indicating the mobility of childbearing females across the Mediterranean” (108),i.e., from the Near East to Italy.

Readers will not only find up to date and solid research from a wide variety ofprominent international scholars but also excellent illustrations, many in color. There is somuch to praise in Etruscan by Definition, which rightly honors this distinguished scholar.This is as it should be, for Sybille Haynes has given so much to the field of Etruscan studies,the latest being the most recent and substantial account of the Etruscans with her “masteryof the whole story,”3 in Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History (2000).

Lisa C. PieracciniHistory of Art416 Doe Library # 6020University of California BerkeleyBerkeley, Ca. 94720

NO T E S

1. Haynes, S. 2000. “Etruria Britannica.” In Ancient Italy in its Mediterranean Setting:Studies in Honour of Ellen Macnamara, edited by D. Ridgway et al., 319-25.London.

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2. Di Fazio, M. 2010. BMCR 8: 47.3. Ridgway, D. 2001. Review of Sybille Haynes, Etruscan Civilization: a CulturalHistory. Antiquaries Journal 81: 425.

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