The Placenza Liver, Model of a sheep's liver inscribed with the names of Etruscan gods, 100 B.C.
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The Placenza Liver, Model of a sheep's liver inscribed with the names of Etruscan gods, 100 B.C. |
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Tomb of Leopards (detail)
The banquet so often reproduced in tomb frescoes had a double meaning for the Etruscans. It was a religious ceremony in that the relatives of the deceased took part in a banquet, as part of the funeral ceremonies, and they believed that the spirit of the deceased was also present.
In addition, in daily life, it was a symbol of wealth and marked membership of a social Člite. It was in fact only the aristocratic class that could afford to give magnificent receptions, where the guests, high-ranking men and women, would lie in pairs on convivial couches, served by numerous slaves, whilst musicians and dancers accompanied the banquet with music and dancing.
The tables were covered with embroidered tablecloths and laid with rich dishes; the food was plentiful, with meat, in particular game, vegetables and fruit.
In the Etruscan world, women, unlike their contemporaries in Greek civilization, enjoyed great freedom. The Greek authors disapproved of this fact and spread malicious comments about the moral customs of Etruscan women.
While Greek women lived in a position of submission to their husbands and spent most of their time shut up in their homes, Etruscan women were entitled to take part in all public events, at banquets they sat next to their men on convivial couches, they could dress unconventionally and they were educated.
Evidence of this prominent role includes the custom of identifying people by their mother's name alongside that of their father.
In the last phase of Etruscan history, when Greek cultural influence made itself felt more strongly in the arts and in customs, Etruscan women lost part of their independence.