Familia in Eternam : the intimate imagery of the egalitarian Etruscan couple
My paper argues that the sarcophagi and urns of Etruscan affinal couples, spanning the period from approximately 600 B.C.E. to 100 B.C.E., represent the ancestors of the families aligned in what some scholars theorize are essentially theocratic regional leagues throughout Etruria. The sculpted and incised figures on these funerary urns often appear animated, and intimately portrait-like. They are usually inscribed with the full names of the husband and the wife, including the full names of each of their parents. These elements suggest that the preservation of their lineage was intentional because it was a continuous, active, and fairly consistent practice during this period
Thesis, Dissertation, English, 2012
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Tex., 2012