1020

Title

1020

Description

General Structure: The tumulus is a roughly circular shape with a diameter of approximately 20 m and is on the Via della Necropoli. Around the side of the tumulus there are signs of cuttings probably for quarrying purposes. On the right back side of the tumulus there are stairs carved into the tuff. There is only one chamber tomb in the tumulus with one side chamber on the left of the dromos and one central chamber aligned with the dromos. Front Side Chamber: The ceiling and front wall of the side chamber has collapsed but the original height was probably approximately 1.5 m. The original width of the chamber is uncertain since the whole front wall has collapsed, but may have been approximately 2.2 m. There is certainly one rock-cut sepulchral bed (0.67 m high, 2.22 m long with end boards, and 0.74 m wide) on the right side of the chamber which has pedimental head and foot boards and a recessed centre. It is challenging to tell if there is a second bed on the left side because of the damage to the front part of the chamber. There is a small step (0.84 × 0.44 × 0.16 m) along the rear wall of the chamber between the bed and the front wall. It seems that there may only have been a small bench on the left side, if anything because the back wall of the chamber does not look to have continued out much further, meaning the chamber was probably quite narrow with room only for one bed. The current height of what is left of the front wall area (the left side of the chamber) is only 0.57 m, so shorter than the bed. However, it is possible that the rear wall extended further, the chamber was wider, and there was a second bed or bench. In fact, it might have been something similar to what is found on the left side of the central chamber (see below). The door to the side chamber is only 0.80 m from the entrance to the central chamber. Central Chamber: The tomb is accessed via a dromos of around 3.85 m in length and 1.59 m in width. The entrance to the rear chamber is an ogival door (1.25 × 0.75 m) that has two steps down (for a total depth of 0.95 m). There is a slight horizontal overhang (at 1.39 m above ground level) of rock that runs over the door and on the right side of the dromos that may have been a decorative addition. The rear chamber is around 5.14 × 2.55 m along most of its length, but there is a shallow, rectangular niche on the left side of the wall and an ogival niche in the rear wall of the chamber. The shallow niche (2.50 m in length and 0.37 m in depth) on the left side of the wall seems to have been added to accommodate for the width (a total of 0.90 m and a height of around 0.44 m) of a rock-cut bed. The bed has a recessed top and there are recessions carved to denote legs. The rock at the level of the bed continues around the side wall of the tomb to the back wall to create a bench and ends where there is a rock-cut sepulchral bed on the right side. There is also a step below this bench at the back wall section between the two beds. There is also a much small rectangular niche (0.34 × 0.30 m, and 0.48 up the wall from ground level) on the left wall close to the entrance before the bed begins. The rear ogival niche (approximately 1.60 m in height, 0.85 m in width, and 0.80 m in depth) is slightly off-centre to the right and is behind the step and bench and the corner of the sepulchral bed. The niche matches the ogival shape of the doorway. The sepulchral bed (around 2. 50 × 1 m) is also sarcophagus-like with a carved ridge around the edge to create the slight recession. The head and foot boards are quite damaged, but it seems that one or both might have been pedimental, like those on the bed in the front side chamber. There is a piece of stone of the pedimental shape that is not in situ and was placed by the entrance to the chamber. The stone piece is about 0.94 m in length at its base and the head/footboards are about 0.97 m so it seems it comes from one of them. There is a small bench/step at the foot of the bed that has the same height (about 0.26 m) as the step at the rear of the chamber. The roof of the ceiling of the rear chamber resembles a pitched roof and forms a triangular projection. There are vertical grooves made on the side walls (three on the left and five on the right), which may have been some sort of decorative addition Façade: There are a few external features of this tomb that are worth noting. At the front of the tumulus at the entrance to the dromos there is a cut rock outcrop that has a small, elongated concave cutting (around 0.57 m in length, 0.30 m in width, and 0.32 m in depth) that looks like a channel. On the back, right side of the tumulus, there are rock-cut stairs that lead from a lower ground level to the top of the tumulus. The stairs are unlike the stairs and ramps of other tumuli that are at a perpendicular angle to the tumulus, jutting outward. These stairs are parallel and connected to the tumulus wall. The bottom stairs, as well as the lower area they are in, is covered by soil and rocks, but their height is approximately 2.37 m. There is a small cut niche on the side of the stairs and pickaxe marks are visible. The stairs have a width of approximately 0.84 m. Interpretation: I interpret the left rock-cut surface in the central chamber as a bed, but it is possible it was a bench because it continues without any marked separation into the rest of the bench that goes around the rear wall. It does have the edge in the relief and the carvings to represent legs, but this could also be to portray a table-like feature rather than a bed. If it was a bench, it could have been used as a place to put offerings and/or grave goods, as was likely done with the bench on the rear wall and possibly the small niche on the left wall. Nonetheless, if it was a sepulchral bed, then there were at least three buried individuals in this tomb.I date this tomb to the sixth century BCE because there is no ridge beam or other denotations shown on the ceiling of the central chamber and it seems to be very hut-like. There is only a slight ridge where the ceiling meets the wall. The ogival door and rear niche also recall other early tombs, like the Tomb of the Hut (seventh century BCE, also in Banditaccia). The shallow depth of the tomb also might suggest an earlier date. Furthermore, the excavation into this rock outcrop that seems to have been uneven in shape may suggest an earlier date because the excavators were not yet fully familiar with the best way to cut tumuli. The rock in the central chamber also seems to be of rough, bad quality since there are many small tuff bombs in it. References: Steingräber, S. 2013. ‘Worshiping with the dead.’ In The Etruscan World, edited by J. M. Turfa, 655–671. New York: Routledge.

Alternative Title

n/a

Creator

Christina Monroe

Type

TUMULUS

Date

Sixth century BCE

Extent

3+

Spatial Coverage

north=42.004769; east=12.097184; elevation=91.583145

Coverage

West

References

SETS #T1020. The Cerveteri Tombs Database, accessed April 30, 2026, link.