Intact 2,000-year old Etruscan tomb discovered
Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:58PM BST

By Deepa Babington

ROME (Reuters) - Archaeologists have discovered a more than 2,000-year-
old Etruscan tomb perfectly preserved in the hills of Tuscany with a
treasure trove of artefacts inside, including urns that hold the
remains of about 30 people.

The tomb, in the Tuscan town of Civitella Paganico, probably dates
from between the 1st and 3rd centuries B.C., when Etruscan power was
in decline, Andrea Marcocci, who led digging at the site, told
Reuters.

"It's quite rare to find a tomb intact like this," said Marcocci, who
had suspected one might exist in the area after work on a nearby road
scattered pieces of artefacts.

"When we found fragments outside, we thought we would find that the
tomb had been violated. But the main burial room was completely
intact."

Inside the tomb, a narrow corridor led to a small burial chamber,
about 2 metres long and 1.79 metres wide, he said. It housed about 80
objects including vases and mirrors in bronze and ceramic. Urns
holding human remains were also found.

"It's quite exceptional to find so many objects in a tomb so small,"
Marcocci said. "Some of the vases (urns) were fairly small, so we
think they were probably for children."

One of Italy's first and most mysterious civilisations, the Etruscans
lived north of Rome in present day regions of Tuscany and Umbria.
Their civilisation lasted for about 1,000 years, reaching its height
roughly from the 7th to the 6th century B.C., before its cities were
replaced by Roman settlements.

Much of what is known about the Etruscans derives from other lavish
burial sites, decorated with paintings and filled with vases and other
objects.

Hayabusa