Volume 19 Winter 2017 Vulci - A year of excavation New treasures from the Necropolis of Poggio Mengarelli by Carlo Casi InnovativeInnovative TechnologiesTechnologies The inheritance of power: reveal the inscription King’s sceptres and the on the Stele di Vicchio infant princes of Spoleto, by P. Gregory Warden by P. Gregory Warden Umbria The Stele di Vicchio is beginning to by Joachim Weidig and Nicola Bruni reveal its secrets. Now securely identi- fied as a sacred text, it is the third 700 BC: Spoleto was the center of longest after the Liber Linteus and the Top, the “Tomba della Truccatrice,” her cosmetics still in jars at left. an Umbrian kingdom, as suggested by Capua Tile, and the earliest of the three, Bottom, a warrior’s iron and bronze short spear with a coiled handle. the new finds from the Orientalizing securely dated to the end of the 6th cen- necropolis of Piazza d’Armi that was tury BCE. It is also the only one of the It all started in January 2016 when even the heavy stone cap of the chamber partially excavated between 2008 and three with a precise archaeological con- the guards of the park, during the usual cover. The robbers were probably dis- 2011 by the Soprintendenza text, since it was placed in the founda- inspections, noticed a new hole made by turbed during their work by the frequent Archeologia dell’Umbria. The finds tions of the late Archaic temple at the grave robbers the night before. nightly rounds of the armed park guards, were processed and analysed by a team sanctuary of Poggio Colla (Vicchio di Strangely the clandestine excavation but they did have time to violate two of German and Italian researchers that Mugello, Firenze). Preliminary accounts had affected an area that was spared Hellenistic tombs overlying the had initially been funded by the Fritz- of the archaeo- continued on page 17 from this crime, at least in recent years, Orientalizing burial. The latter con- Thyssen found- continued on page 6 due to its proximity to the Visitors’ tained the cremated bones of a young Center, the area of Poggio Mengarelli. girl 13-14 years old, wrapped in a light The archaeologists of the Vulci woolen cloth; next to this were the Foundation promptly intervened, but remains of a wooden box, covered with they certainly could not imagine that decorative embossed sheet bronze, con- they were about to make one of the most taining the many jewels that had accom- significant discoveries ever found at panied her, this member of the first Vulci: the Tomb of the Golden Scarab. Etruscan aristocracy of Vulci (end 8th to The clandestine excavation in fact early 7th century BC.) in her short life. had unexpectedly and fortunately halted The precious objects, in fact, vary in just before exposing the extraordinary size and mark the age of the deceased contents of the tomb; they had destroyed from birth. continued on page 41 Top left, 3D model renders visible Top right, a ritual bronze rattle a previously invisible inscription. reveals its inner workings. Left, the 3 sections of writing on Right, head of a sceptre crafted the front and sides of the stele. with an iron and bronze inlay. LETTERS TO THE EDITORS Dear Editors: understand Italian, as the presentation I am writing to you because I am an was in Italian. The audience of about 50 Italian scholar of ancient literature, and people seemed most enthusiastic. I have recently read your paper, pub- Perhaps you know of Feo, but I lished in Etruscan News (2003), about thought I would pass this on to you. I Francesco Pironti and his works, “The did leave the book with a friend in Etruscan Roots of an Italian Language Florence, but if you are at all interested, School in New York.” Over the last few please let me know…and it can be sent years, I have studied Pironti’s linguistic or I will retrieve it in the spring when I theory and, in particular, his Il decifra- hope to go back. mento della lingua etrusca, published in Here’s to good health and all things. Italy by Carabba Publisher. At present, I Yours truly, am writing a biography on Pironti. The Barbara Martini Johnson aim of my work would be to focus not only on the polemical controversy Dear Editors: which his book raised in the 30s and 40s Some time ago we went to Nemi, and of the 20th century in Italy, but also, on The cup of Dionysos conference from left: Susanne Ebbinghaus, saw this fountain, with an Etruscan Pironti’s intuitive and comparative Ioannis Mylonopoulos, Francesco de Angelis, Delphine Tonglet, inscription. We were very surprised to method between ancient languages. The Isabelle Algrain, Jean Gran-Aymerich, Jean Turfa, Alan Shapiro, find it there, and wonder whether some- real core of my work would be to save Sebastiano Soldi, Clemente Marconi. Ladies toasting with a kantharos. one can explain what the story is. Pironti’s theory from oblivion, and to Attached are photographs of the foun- highlight his love and profound interest Dear Editors: Giovanni Feo. Enclosed please find the tain. for Italic history. To my great sorrow, I Warm good wishes from Minnesota! cover of his new book and the fron- George Carnevale have learned that his daughter, Franca I had one of the best times ever in tispiece which he signed to me. This is University of California, Pironti Lally, the last owner of Florence. These last times, I go with a one time that I really wish that I did San Diego Francesco Pironti’s works, died in 2009. very “unambitious” agenda and find For this reason, I would ask you if you myself discovering all kinds of new ETRUSCAN NEWS know who could have inherited Pironti’s things. Editorial Board, Issue #19, January 2017 written production. This would allow One of the best things I discovered me to have some more detailed informa- was a “new to me” bookstore in the tion about Pironti’s life and to read, if Santa Croce neighborhood. It is called Editor-in-Chief Jane Whitehead [email protected] possible, his unpublished works. the Libreria Salvemini and perhaps you Modern and Classical Languages Thanking you in advance for your time know of it. I printed a couple of sheets Valdosta State University Yours sincerely, from the internet, so you might be inter- Valdosta, GA 31698 Prof Alessandra Vettori ested in looking it up. Florence, Italy What really attracted me was the President of the U.S. Francesco de Angelis [email protected] window with the display of books on Section of the Istituto Art History and Archaeology [Ed. Note: We contacted Francesco our Etruscans, as the enclosed photo di Studi Etruschi ed Columbia University Pironti’s granddaughter, who kindly shows. Then I noticed the sign advertis- Italici, ex officio New York, NY 10027 sent us the following answer to ing the book reading and signing… Professor Vettori’s letter.] (Please see photo of poster below.) Honorary Founding Larissa Bonfante [email protected] I did go to the book reading and met President Classics Department Dear Professor Vettori, 100 Washington Square East I am Francesco Pironti's granddaugh- Silver Building, Room 503 ter, and I'm very delighted to hear that New York, NY 10003 you are working on a book about him. Since the publication of the article about Language Page Editor Rex Wallace [email protected] her father, Francesco Pironti, in Classics Department Etruscan News in 2003, there has been a University of Massachusetts renewed interest in his work, and sever- Amherst, MA 01003 al scholars approached my mother, Franca Pironti Lally about it. After my Layout-Design Editor Gary Enea [email protected] mother's death the care of my grandfa- ther's documents came to me, and I was surprised to discover that there were Submissions, news, pictures, or other material appropriate to this newsletter may several boxes of original papers, which I be sent to any of the editors listed above. The email address is preferred. am happy to share. Please get in touch For submissions guidelines, see Etruscan News 3 (2003). with me and I would be very glad to help with any research about my grand- Distribution of Etruscan News is made possible through the generosity of father. NYU’s Center for Ancient Studies. Alexandra Lally Peters Page 2 Letter to our Readers Dear Readers, We are meeting post-Thanksgiving at the house of our layout editor, Gary Enea, contacting contributors and reminding ourselves of the year’s yield: many conferences, interesting lectures, spectacular discoveries, and a younger genera- tion interested in the real Etruscans of long ago. As Barbara Johnson noted in a letter to us some time ago, all the exhibits she was then seeing in Italy were enhanced by digital technology. In fact, our knowl- edge of the Etruscans is increasingly illuminated and driven by technological Dear Editors: advances. Last year’s extraordinary find of a new inscription, the Vicchio stele The inscription is in Italian, written in from Poggio Colla, is now being studied through digital scanning. The extrapo- the runic alphabet of northern Europe, lation of the letters, which would previously have been impossible or tremen- which is based on the Etruscan alphabet dously difficult, is now being carried out by a team working from a 3D model [Editor’s Note: here is Daniele Maras, of northern Italy. It was written by the scanned from the original monument. In the past, inscriptions were studied from the Etruscan epigraphist’s, answer.] local artist, perhaps inspired by Lord of squeezes, rubbings, drawings or raking-light photography.