Archaeology Days, Banditaccia "opens" the Tomb of Reliefs

A masterpiece of art and antiquity, unique in the archaeological panorama with its story that still "speaks" after more than two thousand years. But also a very fragile site and for this reason always extremely protected. On the occasion of the European Archaeology Days, the Park Archaeological Museum of Cerveteri and Tarquinia opens exceptionally to the public his perhaps most famous burial: the astonishing Tomb of the Reliefs (called by many "Beautiful Tomb"), a masterpiece absolute of Etruscan funerary art, generally to be admired only behind clear, anti-fog glass. The appointment, on June 13, inaugurates a cycle of openings extraordinary events of the Tomb, with nine dates scheduled until September 26th. And it will allow enthusiasts to know and admire it up close. "Dated to the end of the 4th century BC - says Maria Cristina Tomassetti, Pact archaeologist - the Tomb of the reliefs is a noble hypogeum that belonged to the Matuna family, one of the most illustrious and powerful in the city of Caere". Located inside the Banditaccia Necropolis of Cerveteri, a UNESCO heritage site since 2004, it is a unique tomb for the exceptional quantity and realism of the objects represented embossed on every corner, column or wall. "They tell - says Tomassetti - what many tombs of this tell period: the prestige of the family, the high social level, the commitment at military level. All this, however, with a technique which to date we have not found in any other tomb: they are all stucco, with objects modelled in mortar and hung in a illusionistic with nails of extreme realism. What what is striking - he adds - is the search for realism, thanks to the use of the color and the surface processing of the shapes, such as in the soft cushions where it seems that there is still someone with the head supported". In special visits, visitors will be accompanied by Pact officials who will guide them in the exploration and "reading" of this "room of wonders". "They are environments extremely fragile - concludes Tomasetti - and it is precisely this our great challenge: to combine conservation with enjoyment".