How to say Etruscan – Ee trus can
The Etruscan’s were one of the old groups of people that helped to make Italy very powerful. At first, the Etruscan people were in charge of the Roman people, and they told them what to do.
But, after many wars, the Etruscan’s lost, and the Romans took over. The Roman’s then went on to build a vast empire, and they were in charge of many different countries.
When the Etruscan’s were the powerful people, they made lots of paintings, buildings, and sculptures.
Some of these can still be seen today in museums or Italy. Etruscan art is thought to be very beautiful and special.
A Greek look
The artwork from the time that the Etruscan’s were in charge of Italy looks a lot like Greek statues and paintings.
They had pots made from clay, figures made from bronze and pictures on the walls to show them and their lives.
Paintings
The Etruscan art may have been like Greek art, but they made it special to them. The pictures that have been found from this time show them having great meals, or dancing. Other paintings have been made of fantasy creatures or heaven.
Sculptures
Etruscan’s liked to make sculptures or statues from terracotta, bronze or stone. Terracotta is a very special red or brown clay.
This type of clay has iron in it, and when the clay is cooked in the oven or kiln, it turns brown or dark red. The Etruscan’s used this type of clay because it could be easily dug up from the ground and it was easy to make statues or bowls with.
Bronze was a very popular material to make statues from, but it was also worth a lot of money. This means that many of the statues that may have been made from this time were melted down to make new things in later years. It also means that there aren’t very many bronze statues from this time at all
Buildings
The Etruscan’s liked to make statues and buildings from stone. The most common buildings from this time that have been found are in the rocks.
Many of the Etruscan buildings that have been seen are carved into the rocks or cliffs around them.
Tomb
The Etruscan people believed that when they died, they could take their favorite things with them. This included; pots, paintings, and small statues.
When an Etruscan person died, they were buried in a tomb with the artwork that they loved the most. The tomb would also be painted with happy, sad or even scary pictures.
One tomb that was found had a masked figure and a creepy man painted on it. Another grave had a painting of people dancing on it. The different types of tomb art were personal to the person who had died.
Grand Death
The tomb of a woman from the Etruscan time has been found with lots of weird and beautiful things inside it. As well as the normal pots and statues, this tomb also had gold bracelets, lots of jewelry and a bed made from bronze!
It is thought that this woman was very important when she was alive. Finding this tomb shows that the Etruscan people liked to have lots of nice things around them when they were alive and dead.
Etruscan Art Facts
- They were once more powerful than the Romans
- The Etruscan’s created the alphabet
- They helped to create Rome
- Etruscan’s loved terracotta clay
- They built grand tombs
- Lots of Etruscan paintings that have been found are life-size
- Etruscan statues looked a lot like Greek statues
- Some Etruscan building were carved or made into the rock cliffs around them
Questions
- The Romans were around before the Etruscan’s. True or False?
False - Was Etruscan art like Greek or English art?
Greek - There are lots of bronze Etruscan statues around today. True or False?
False - Some Etruscan paintings were quite scary. True or False
True - What were Etruscan buildings made from?
Stone or Rock
- Back to – Ancient Rome