Etruscans Now
Ceramics, Technology and Workshop Production
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Dr. Judith Toms - University of Oxford
Attribution study of Early Iron Age pottery from Tarquinia
A study of the hand built, impasto pottery from Early Iron Age (proto-Etruscan) Tarquinia has led to the attribution of various pots to anonymous potters, based on detailed similarities in shape and decoration. The Tarquinian pottery is marked by an exuberance in decoration and elegance of form making the identification of "hands" possible.
Almost half of the 300+ biconical cremation urns have been attributed to hands, and about 10% of some other classes of pottery which are simpler in form and decoration.
This is the first attribution study of Early Iron Age pottery. The hands are important for constructing a relative chronological sequence, and also cast light on various aspects of craft production and funerary ritual.