AAMW630 - Etrusc Art&Arch Pennmus

The Etruscans, who spoke a language unlike any others known, were cast by their Greek and Roman rivals as outsiders and enemies: pirates, lovers of luxury, loose women. Today we must rely on the archaeological evidence of painted tombs, decorated Tuscan temples and massive engineering works to correct the picture. The course will survey a millennium (1st millennium BCE) of Etruscan culture through archaeological sites, works of art and everyday material culture, especially illustrated with objects in the collection of the Penn Museum. An additional insight into Italic culture comes from tomb groups excavated for the Museum at the Faliscan settlement of Narce. Students will gain familiarity with the societies of pre-Roman Italy through close study of their vases, jewels, arms, armor, textiles and tools, and even their very bones, and discover a surprising amount of Etruscan heritage surviving today.