ANTIQUITIES 
 
 NOW OPEN AT 
 
 No. 121, PALL MALL, 
 
 OPPOSITE THE OPERA COLONNADE. 
 
 o ' Sl'T \ ^ , 
 
 
 
 PRINTED BY JOSEPH MALLET T, 
 
 WARDOUR STREET, SOHO. 
 
 PRICE SIXPENCE. 
 
TO 
 
 SAMUEL ROGERS, Esqu,„e 
 
 the ILLUSTIIIOUS ENGLISH POET, 
 
 AND THJi 
 
 enlightened patron of art, 
 
 AS WELL MODERN AS ANCIENT, 
 
 THIS LITTLE DESCRIJH'KXV 
 
 OF SOME OF THE 
 
 ANTIQUITIES LATELY DISCOVERED IN ETRUIHA 
 
 and now exhibited to the BRITISH PUBLIC, 
 
 JS INSCKIHED, 
 
 BY HIS G HATEFUL SERVANT, 
 
 CAMPANAKI. 
 

A DESCRIPTION, 
 
 ^C. ^C. 
 
 liiE English Authors of the Universal His- 
 tory were amongst the earliest writers who ex- 
 plained, by their learned observations, the history 
 of the Etruscans, and their usages, I hope, there- 
 fore, to meet the approbation of the English pub- 
 lic in exhibiting a specimen of the monuments of 
 that ancient people, particularly of the kind to 
 which they seem to have been most partial, name- 
 ly, the funereal monuments; for it is in these 
 that we perceive the most striking evidence of 
 the correct notions they entertained respect- 
 ing the immortality of the soul, of their pious 
 regard for the deceased, and of their taste for 
 splendour and magnificence. 
 
 Their modes of sepulture were of various 
 kinds. Previously to the period when this nation 
 attained the great power and wealth at which it 
 arrived, some centuries anterior to Rome, they 
 practised tlie most simple mode of interring their 
 
4 
 
 dead. These were placed within a trench, which 
 was covered over with large tiles, and above 
 these was thrown the earth which had been 
 taken out. They frequently also deposited the 
 dead in conical holes, excavated at a consider- 
 able depth under ground, in a horizontal direc- 
 tion, the descent into which was by a well of 
 equal depth, cut perpendicularly. Here they 
 heaped the bodies one over the other and covered 
 them with earth ; and, when the hole was full, 
 they shut up the aperture with a large stone. 
 But it soon became a general practice, as indeed 
 had always been the case, for the more distin- 
 guished individuals to deposit them in subter- 
 raneous chambers ; the shapes of which varied 
 according to the greater or less consistency of 
 the material in which they were excavated. 
 Where this was of sufficient solidity, and par- 
 ticularly if it presented a continued line of rock 
 in the neighbourhood of the city (for they were 
 ever anxious to have their cemeteries near at 
 hand, and, as it were, under the eyes of the 
 living, though considerations of health forbade 
 them from burying within the walls), they never 
 failed to enrich the rock, within which were the 
 tombs, with ornaments ; this we see in many 
 places, particularly at Castel d’Asso, and at 
 
Nordiia, near Viterbo and Brera ; where they 
 sculptured various architectural members, gates, 
 pilasters, pediments, and friezes, with columns 
 and statues ; the whole relieved upon the surface 
 of the rock. Sometimes they inscribed, in largo 
 letters, the motto : 
 
 Z3HI0VZ.A33 
 
 which is interpreted to be “ Hail in peace.” 
 
 The interior of the chambers was frequently 
 enriched with a range of beams on the vaulted 
 roofs, and other ornaments ; sometimes with 
 couches in the form of a triclinium : this con- 
 tinued till the usage was adopted of burning 
 the bodies, when the ashes were collected in an 
 urn and deposited in similar grottoes. When an 
 individual of distinction, either for his deeds or 
 for the public functions which he had dis- 
 charged, was buried, the whole interior of the 
 tomb was painted. Of this practice we are now 
 enabled to exhibit a beautiful specimen, from 
 two grottoes in Tarquinia, the paintings in which 
 are faithfully copied, of the same size, and con- 
 formably to the shape of the tomb. Besides the 
 decorations of the chambers, we have added also 
 the urns or receptacles of the bodies or bones of 
 the interred, all made of the rocks of the conn- 
 
0 
 
 try, called peperino ; for at this period they had 
 not began to work either the marble of Luna or 
 the Greek or African Marbles, which were 
 afterwards introduced by the Romans. 
 
 From these specimens, it is evident that the 
 urns frequently presented, on the fascia or 
 upper cornice, the epitaph of the deceased, 
 which comprised his own name and that of his 
 family, his age, and sometimes various particu- 
 lars of his life. At the top of the urn was 
 placed the statue of the deceased, in a recum- 
 bent position, whether male or female, if their 
 condition had been such as to call for this mark 
 of distinction. Within the urns we have often 
 found, together with the skull and bones, the 
 favorite objects of the deceased, which he or she 
 had used when living ; such as a woman’s gold 
 ornaments, the whole or parts of the armour of 
 a warrior, mirrors, cistuses, dice, table utensils, 
 and pieces of money of very antient date. The 
 excavations which I and my family have under- 
 taken and carried on at Vulci, since the year 
 1828, prove abundantly that, whether the de- 
 ceased were honoured with urns or not, it was 
 the general practice to inter, with them in the 
 tombs, and close to the body, vases of metal, 
 terra-cotta, or glass, comprising some with very 
 
7 
 
 beautiful paintings, also cups, candelabra, tripods, 
 perfume vases, and various other articles pos- 
 sessed during life, and particularly such as had 
 been conferred as the reward of valour, or as 
 honorary testimonies of distinction in athletic 
 combats. For the same reason also, we found, 
 in the tombs, not only the warriors’ arms, and 
 sometimes the remains of their chariots of war, 
 but most frequently also the bones of dogs and 
 horses which had accompanied them on military 
 expeditions. These vessels, as well as the other 
 objects, are frequently found suspended by nails 
 on the walls of the grottoes, as we have here 
 exhibited : and we beg again to assure the 
 public that the whole is a faithful representa- 
 tion of the forms of the tombs, and of the ar- 
 rangement of the objects found in them. 
 
 DESCRIPTION 
 
 OF 
 
 THE FIRST CHAMBER. 
 
 'Phis cliamber has been lately discovered 
 on the antient road leading from Toscanella 
 (Tuscania) to Corneto (Tarquinia). The ap- 
 
8 
 
 pearance of the front is one of the most fre- 
 (jiient among the Etruscan, and bears above the 
 entrance the following inscription : 
 
 
 ivy 
 
 0 
 
 •VJK 
 
 y 
 
 vflBO 
 
 zamov'Z.ADa 
 
 In the thickness of the wall, at the entrance, 
 are painted two Charons, or guardians at the 
 gate of the dead, with strange and disagreeable 
 countenances, after the Etruscan fashion. Both 
 of them bear the double mace, to chastise the 
 wicked who might attempt to violate the tran- 
 quillity of the tombs. One of them is also 
 armed with a scythe. 
 
 This chamber bears no pictures, and the walls 
 are cut in the massy natural rock. To the left 
 hand we see an urn with the recumbent statue 
 of an old matron, the whole of peperino. The 
 bas-relief of the front piece of the urn presents 
 a head of Medusa, having on either side a 
 dolphin, the Tyrrhenian symbol. A statue of a 
 boy, perhaps the son of the matron, stands be- 
 side ; he is entirely naked, except a sash that 
 girdles him round the loins and falls on one side 
 down to his feet. The bones of the boy were 
 contained in a little urn placed on a pedestal of 
 peperino, which is also to be seen in the interior 
 
9 
 
 of the same chamber. There is also a hearth of 
 terra cotta, ornamented with a bas-relief repre- 
 senting the funereal rites ; it stands on a quad- 
 rangular piece of peperino, in front of which is 
 sculptured the outward form of a temple or 
 shrine. Vases and utensils of various descrip- 
 tions, both of bronze and terra cotta, are append- 
 ed high upon the walls. 
 
 SECOND CHAMBER. 
 
 This chamber, which was discovered on the 
 road leading from Tuscania to Tarquinia, at a 
 little distance from the other, does not offer in 
 its outward parts any thing worthy of attention. 
 The interior is painted blue, a common practice 
 with the Tuscans. It seems to have been the 
 sepulchre of a whole family, from the number of 
 uims which it contains. The first that we see 
 to the right hand presents, in front, a combat of 
 three warriors, scarcely blocked out. Its cover 
 offers to the sight the recumbent statue of a 
 priest of Bacchus, which quality is evinced by 
 the prefericulum he holds in his hand, by the 
 ivy chaplet he wears on his head, and by the 
 sacred utensils hanging from the wall on his 
 side. Within the urn are the remains of his 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 body, and some few objects which the antients 
 were accustomed to bury with the body of 
 the deceased. 
 
 The next urn presents to us a male figure 
 on the top : it is inscribed with Etruscan cha- 
 racters, bearing the name and descent of the 
 departed, as we shall see hereafter. This in- 
 scription has been engraved, as usual, on the 
 fascia, or upper cornice of the principal side. 
 Here is also a bas-relief representing two ma- 
 rine monsters, face to face; between them is 
 a disk, intended for a Gorgon, as is evident 
 from other examples, which prove to us that 
 these monsters were usually represented as 
 bearing the souls of the deceased into the 
 Elysian fields. The marine monsters are quite 
 finished; but the disk between them, which 
 the sculptor intended to form into a Gorgon, 
 or head of Medusa, is only sketched or blocked 
 out. We have other similar examples, which 
 shew that these monuments were consigned to 
 artists at or about the period of the deaths of 
 the individuals who were to be interred in 
 them, and that it sometimes happened that the 
 funeral ceremonies would take place before the 
 work was completed. We perceive also that 
 the statues were real portraits of the deceased ; 
 
11 
 
 for, although they always exhibit the type of 
 the national physiognomy, they are always 
 different from each other. The same costume 
 IS seen on these figures which we have noticed 
 in the dresses of the spectators of the games : 
 the men wear only a cloak, and the women the 
 tunic and mantle. The male statues have, 
 almost always, a patera in their hands, or else 
 a vase. The women have frequently a branch, 
 or a fan. The men wear, on the neck, a cir- 
 cular ornament, surrounded with a riband in 
 spirals, which it is difficult to define more 
 accurately. On the head they wear a pileas or 
 helmet, with a border in front, and plain be- 
 hind. The statue now before us has a ring in 
 the hand ; which was also the custom for wo- 
 men to wear, with other ornaments, such as 
 ear-rings, clasps, and diadems. 
 
 The inscription is as follows : 
 
 Sir: /A30;ZI0:Z/OA:vyi3j^NA0: vAIZA>/C3AA/C.., 
 ^VO’/BJ : 3<03M : >NANni3 , 
 
 which, according to Lanzi (Sag. di Lin. Etr.), 
 and later proofs, may be translated— Vibius or 
 Vibianus Sethrius (or Sextus) Velthurius, Me- 
 dosia natus Tanaquilis filia, vixit annos (more or 
 less) quinquaginta, (and perhaps) semis. This 
 expression cis ceal is new, as well as the last 
 
12 
 
 z, after the mark 'J' , expressing the number 
 of years. From their position, we may conjec- 
 ture that it signified what the Latins, in speak- 
 ^ ing of years, expressed by flm minus. Indeed, 
 CIS is also a Latin word, meaning the reverse of 
 ultra; and it is not unlikely that ceal, in 
 ‘ Etruscan, was the equivalent of ultra ; but we 
 must wait for further authorities before this 
 can be determined, as well as for the meaning 
 of z, which we suspect may be rendered semis. 
 
 ■ The third statue represents a warrior, as we 
 may judge from the bas-relief of a military 
 V car, guided by the warrior himself : behind him 
 
 ? is a genius with expanded wings, followed by 
 three palm-bearers in procession, and by a 
 fourth, who bears on his arms an instrument 
 which looks like a crooked trumpet. The whole 
 alludes to some warlike deed of the deceased : 
 these bas-reliefs, indicative of a triumph, an- 
 nounce the usages of the nation, and the glory 
 which awaited the defenders of their country. 
 
 The inscription upon this urn is as follows : 
 
 V</30 .Av/130.Z>/l<lAf A31V<]A ttlOAHf.IXt 
 
 S/11A.3DXAI-Z.AATZ v^AO<|y /33 .ZAAVA . 
 
 We may here read the words Azio Velio, and 
 his age, 61. The greater part of the remainder, 
 which doubtless expressed the particulars of his 
 
life, are unintelligible for want of others to com- 
 pare them with ; the words are quite new, as 
 well as the circumstance of so much writing 
 after the age, which is generally at the end. 
 We can only distinguish the word C3//TA coepta, 
 evidently a Latin word; but it will not admit of 
 an interpretation without further authorities. 
 
 The last urn of this chamber contained the 
 remains of a young woman, as the statue lying 
 on the cover undoubtedly proves. The bas- 
 relief of this urn presents a bearded head, 
 covered with a Phrygian cap, the point of which 
 falls over the forehead. Beside it are two 
 marine monsters, mounted by two boys, which 
 was symbolical of the passage of the soul over 
 the ocean to the Elysian fields. The statue on 
 the cover presents a young woman, on whose 
 countenance we may observe that there are 
 marks remaining which prove that it was painted 
 red ; which was common also with male statues, 
 and with the urns themselves. This was done 
 to honor the deceased ; for the same may be 
 observed of statues of deities : and the custom 
 was afterwards imitated by the Romans. The 
 gold ornaments of the women were coloured 
 yellow, to represent that metal ; as is apparent 
 from the diadem of the young lady. Here 
 
too it is clear that the countenances are real 
 portraits ; and that of the girl, who is very 
 beautiful, was completed by the artist, though 
 her dress is only blocked out ; probably, as 
 observed before, for want of time. 
 
 Vases and cups are appended on the walls 
 all around, as in the first chamber ; and a beau- 
 tiful tripod of Etruscan workmanship was found 
 in the middle of the chamber, over against the 
 door, which seems to have served in the per- 
 formance of the funereal rites of the deceased. 
 
 I ' irl 
 
 THIRD CHAMBER. 
 
 Above the door of this chamber, inside, 
 there are two panthers. This was a mystical 
 animal of the Etruscans, who thus placed them, 
 as well as other animals, as the keepers of the 
 sepulchres. They were also consecrated to 
 Bacchus, who, in Etruria, was supposed to pre- 
 side over funerals. On each side of the door 
 are the trees or branches, bearing leaves, to 
 indicate a rural site. 
 
 On the three other walls the painting is 
 divided into two compartments ; the lowest of 
 which rests on a cornice of various colours. 
 
15 
 
 111 the lower compartment, the paintings are 
 about four palms high. In the upper one, their 
 height is not more than one palm and five- 
 sixths. In the lower range, on the right hand, 
 are three youths, alternating with three females, 
 and dancing to the sound of a double flute, 
 played by one of the women. The men have 
 a light cloak, leaving a great part of their bodies 
 exposed. The dancing girls are clothed in a 
 rich thin tunic, embroidered with small stars, 
 and a very light mantle or cloak, floating in the 
 nir. The tunics and the cloak have an elegant 
 border. The men and women are crowned 
 with myrtle ; the former wear on their necks a 
 blue necklace ; the latter have no necklace, but 
 have sandals and an embroidered head-dress : the 
 head and feet of the men are uncovered. The 
 dance is kept up with great animation, not only 
 by the quick movement of the feet and person, 
 but mainly by beating time with the hands, 
 which are open and extended. Amongst the 
 figures are small shrubs, loaded with leaves; 
 and, at the foot of the wall, is a table, with 
 painted vases of various sizes, which contain 
 the liquor sacred to Bacchus and to Mirth. 
 
 In the upper compartment of the picture, 
 on the wall to the right, preparations are 
 
16 
 
 making for chariot-races in the circus. Four 
 cars are seen, three with the horses already 
 harnessed to them, each ready to start, under 
 the guidance of the charioteer ; the fourth is 
 about to be got ready ; a fifth is obliterated, 
 but the horses are there, ready to be harnessed, 
 with the driver and the attendants. At the 
 extremity of the picture is a kind of balcony, 
 with spectators ; above which is visible the 
 awning, folded back, to be used if wanted. 
 The balcony is divided into an upper and a 
 lower story. In the former are seated the 
 most distinguished individuals : the women are 
 clothed in a short tunic and mantle, with caps 
 on their heads ; the men have only a cloak, 
 without the tunic. This was the usual dress of 
 the Etruscans; and the countenances present 
 to us the true type of their physiognomy. 
 Under the balcony are seated the youths of the 
 plebeian class, as is apparent from their dress. 
 
 SIDE OPPOSITE THE DOOR. 
 
 The picture is, as usual, divided into two 
 compartments ; but, instead of a dance, it 
 exhibits three triclinia, on each of which are 
 
17 
 
 reclined a man and a woman, half* upright, 
 leaning on double cushions : two naked youths 
 assist at the table ; one of whom holds in his 
 hand a branch of myrtle, and the other a kind 
 of rod or wand, the use of which is not ascer- 
 tained : near these, is one playing on the double 
 flute. 
 
 We should here notice the rich ornaments 
 of the dresses, the beds, and the gold neck- 
 laces. All who are seated on the triclinium 
 are crowned with the myrtle, sacred to Bacchus ; 
 and two of the guests are drinking from cups. 
 Four of them hold in their hands a white apple, 
 or perhaps an egg. Under two of the beds are 
 six ducks (Bacchanalian birds,) as if ready to 
 catch what might fall from the table. 
 
 In the upper compartment is continued the 
 spectacle of athletic games, the figures being 
 of the same size ; but with a single balcony for 
 the spectators, which, at each end of the angle 
 of the chamber, join to those on the adjoining 
 walls. The athletic exhibitions are those of 
 wrestling, over which a wand-bearer presides, 
 the cestus, and leaping on foot, on horseback, 
 and with a lance. The athletse are all naked. 
 On this side, the picture is continued above 
 the two compartments already mentioned, and 
 
 c p 
 
OCi i\ % V4 1 % \ \ 
 
 18 
 
 
 X 
 
 ' 1 ^ 
 
 covers the whole wall, following the plan of 
 the ceiling, which appears to rest upon a corbel. 
 In the centre is painted a large vase, on both 
 sides of which are represented two women, 
 naked, standing upright, with dishevelled hair, 
 each with a small vase or prefericulum in her 
 hands. Beyond the corbel, the remainder of 
 the wall is occupied by two men, lying down? 
 and leanin" on a double cushion . On e of 
 
 O 
 
 them, who wears a beard and a crown of 
 myrtle, is clothed to the waist in a cloak. The 
 other is beardless, wears a crown of laurel, and 
 the same sort of dress. Both are in the act ol 
 drinking out of a cup. 
 
 In the lower compartment of the third wall, 
 on the left hand, the dance is resumed. This is 
 exactly similar in gestures and dresses to that 
 represented on the opposite side : gymnastic 
 
 games too are repeated in the upper compart- 
 ment, and particularly boxing, throwing of the 
 discus, hurling of the lance, and the foot-race ; 
 and these are accompanied as before by the 
 Agonothetas or judges. 
 
 The vaulted roof of the chamber is divided 
 by a beam resting on the two corbels, at the 
 door and facing it ; this beam is ornamented 
 with several rosettes mixed with ivy leaves ; the 
 
19 
 
 remaining space of the vault is painted in chec- 
 quers of various colours, which are composed as 
 follows, both on the ceiling and on the walls : 
 lime is used for the white ; there are also red 
 earth, black earth, and smalt for the blue and 
 green: of these four colours are composed all 
 the tints which are employed. 
 
 In the middle of the chamber we see an urn 
 hyger than the others, and sculptured on all 
 sides, which, as Lanzi observes in his Sag^io della 
 Lingua Etrusca, is not usual, and is a proof that 
 It was made for some very distinguished per- 
 sonage. At the head of the urn is represented a 
 fight, emblematic of the exhibition of gladiators, 
 in honour of the deceased. The bas-reliefs on 
 the other three sides pourtray the barbarous sa- 
 ciifices of human victims, men and women, 
 who are forcibly dragged to be pnt to death, 
 before the altar, amidst the lamentations and 
 despair of their relatives. In early times the 
 Greeks were not free from this stain upon their 
 character, as we learn from that part of the Iliad 
 where Homer describes the funeral of Patroclus, 
 at which Achilles sacrificed twelve victims 
 chosen from the most illustrious of the Trojan 
 prisoners. This remarkable urn has unfortu- 
 nately been much injured j but we may still 
 
: i \ % 11 11 • 
 
 20 
 
 perceive and admire the noble character of the 
 composition, as well as of the workmanship. 
 Only a few letters remain of the Etruscan in- 
 scription, which, as usual, contained the name of 
 the deceased. 
 
 At the top of the urn was either a lid or a 
 recumbent statue ; for there can be no doubt 
 that the urn was intended to be seen on all 
 sides, which was not the case with those placed 
 against the wall of the sepulchre, ranged in a 
 line by the side of each other. Within the urn 
 are the scull and bones of the warrior, his arms, 
 and some other objects of various kinds. 
 
 FOURTH CHAMBER. 
 
 This chamber exhibits to us no gym- 
 nastic or circensian games, only triclinia and 
 dances : but we have here a greater profusion 
 of rich dresses, chariots, and other accessories. 
 The ceiling is, like the other, keel-shaped, and 
 divided by a large beam, which rests upon cor- 
 bels, and is entirely covered with green ivy 
 leaves, the remainder of the square divisions 
 being painted in rhomboid shapes of different 
 colours. To the right and left of the console. 
 
•21 
 
 facing the door or entrance, are two naked men, 
 leaning on cushions doubled up as before. 
 Near the feet of one of them is a bird, which 
 looks like a pigeon. On the opposite side over 
 the entrance are two panthers, a male and fe- 
 male, looking straight forward, one on one side, 
 and one on the other. 
 
 The wall on the entrance side presents to 
 us two youths clothed in light doublets, each 
 with a spear in his hand, and mounted on two 
 horses, facing each other, as if they were the 
 guardians of the gate within. The horses have 
 no trappings, nor saddle, nor bridle, and the 
 riders grasp the manes with their hands. On 
 the side opposite the entrance are three triclinia, 
 two facing the spectator, and one seen in per- 
 spective or foreshortened ; on each are reposing 
 a young man and a woman. In front of each 
 of the two triclinia is a table with vases upon it, 
 and before the other, in lieu of the table, is a 
 vase standing on the ground. The cloths spread 
 upon the tables, as well as on the triclinia, are 
 remarkable for their elegance and rich orna- 
 ments. At the head of the guests is a flute- 
 player, standing up, wrapped in a pallium or 
 cloak, playing the double flute. A lad, who 
 is serving the table, stands in the middle, and 
 holds in one hand an utensil like a filter, in the 
 
 
2-2 
 
 other a small vase. The woman, who is reclin- 
 ing on the first triclinium, turns towards the 
 
 c5 
 
 flute-player, and seems to be imitating his ges- 
 tures. The other figures are in different atti- 
 tudes, and have not yet begun to partake of the 
 feast set before them. All wear crowns of 
 bay or ivy, and one of the guests has in front 
 a shoulder-belt of ivy. Other chaplets are sus- 
 pended high up. At the foot of the sides of 
 the chamber are a cat, a cock painted with many 
 colours, and a bird resembling a partridge. 
 
 On the walls to the right and left of the 
 door the dance is repeated, five figures are on 
 each side, three women and two men. The 
 first woman dancer plays at the same time on 
 a tambourine with both hands, one of the youths 
 plays on the flute, the other on the lyre ; but 
 this without interrupting the dance. All the 
 other figures accompany the dance with actions 
 of the head, the whole body, the arms and 
 hands. The last dancing woman holds up with 
 both her hands a chaplet of ivy, the others, with 
 one exception, wear the same interlaced with 
 their hair. The dresses of the guests and dan- 
 cers are very elegant, with minute embroidery, 
 and rich borders of various colours. The cloaks 
 flutter in the air ; the prevailing colours are 
 red, yellow, and blue. Some of the women 
 
wear rich necklaces and other ornaments. Be- 
 tween each figure is a plant of myrtle or bay, 
 and to some of them is attached a riband with 
 fringe. A variety of birds are perched upon 
 the trees and branches, shewing, together with 
 the foliage, that the scene is in the country ; 
 some small four-footed animals are also amono- 
 them, two of which remain on the ground, and 
 one has climbed up on one of the shrubs. 
 There is also an upright vase in the place where 
 they are dancing. The painting upon these 
 walls rests upon a cornice composed of party- 
 coloured lines, and is terminated by an orna- 
 ment, which by Italian painters is called an onda 
 di mare. 
 
 The guests, the dances, and the exhibition 
 here represented, were not merely an ornament 
 of the sepulchral chambers where they are 
 found, like the decorations of our modern 
 rooms, but they represent the actual celebra- 
 tion of the funereal obsequies of the deceased ; 
 to which were added also Bacchanalian orgies, 
 accompanied with dances of unbridled licen- 
 tious mirth. These usages unfold to us the 
 ideas entertained by the Etruscans respecting 
 death, which they conceived to be nothing else 
 than the approach and passage to a new life in 
 the Elysian fields ; where, in union with their 
 
24 
 
 ( 
 
 ^Mr 
 
 I 
 
 deceased kinsmen and friends, they were to live 
 in perpetual enjoyment and pleasure, feasting 
 and dancing, and in every agreeable diversion 
 which they had known during life. These flat- 
 tering notions were certainly well fitted to re- 
 move from death every idea of horror, both in 
 those who were to leave the world, and in those 
 who lost by it the dearest objects of their affec- 
 tion. But, by one of those contradictions of 
 the mind of man, from which the most civilized 
 state cannot always be free, the Etruscans su- 
 peradded to these joyous modes of celebrating 
 their funerals, other rites equally cruel and 
 mournful, not unaccompanied with the shed- 
 ding of human blood. 
 
 In the middle of the chamber there is a sar- 
 cophagus, bearing no bas-relief of any kind. 
 Yet the cover presents a priestess of Bacchus, 
 lying supinely on the urn. She is dressed in 
 all the pomp of her sacred attire, gold orna^ 
 ments set off her neck, ears, arms, and hands. 
 A little bird, an animal sacred to Bacchus, is 
 lying beside her. She holds in her right hand 
 a little vase with large handles, and a thyrsus in 
 lier left. The style of this sculpture is quite 
 different from that of the others. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 PRINTED BY J. MALLETT, 59, WARDOUR STREET, SOHO.