Anno 2025-26

The course aims to explore the history, culture, archaeology and art of the Etruscans and other populations of pre-Roman Italy by focusing on a selection of key issues, questions and evidence. The main objective of the course is to provide students with a consolidated knowledge of Etruscan and Italic civilizations and a clear understanding of modern theories and methodologies that will allow them to approach the evidence independently and will encourage further research.

Course Outline and Contents:The course will be divided into two parts: twelve lectures will be dedicated to Etruscan culture, and six to the other populations of Pre-Roman Italy.

Lectures 1-12 (Angela Pola): After some institutional lectures (Etruscan who? Etruscan Where? Etruscan when? The origin of the Etruscans), the course explores the development of Etruscan civilization between approximately 900 and 300 BC, focusing on the analysis of artisan productions, artworks, and material culture. Emphasis will be placed upon close examination of artifacts (through images), including those held in local museums. Within a broad chronological structure and always keeping in mind a diachronic and geographic perspective, selected masterpieces, works of art, everyday objects, and monuments will be analyzed for each period of Etruscan history, allowing to explore the development of the socio-political structure of the Etruscan region. Subjects ranging from the rituals of daily life and death to essential topics such as the interaction with other Mediterranean cultures and the elaboration of external stimuli- e.g. the Etruscan reception of Greek mythology- will also be examined. The iconography, manufacture, and social function of works ranging from temple sculptures to tomb paintings, ceramic productions, funerary stelae, vase painting, sculpture, urns and sarcophagi, architecture, incised mirrors, metallurgy productions, chariots, jewelry, etc., will be analyzed, as well as the role of artisans in forming and articulating local hierarchies. A study visits to Etruscan collections in Milan (Fondazione Luigi Rovati; Museo Civico Archeologico) will be organized at the end of this section of the course.

Lectures 13–18 (Massimiliano Di Fazio): Following an introductory lecture on Pre-Roman Italy, the course will offer a series of in-depth analyses focusing on selected populations of Pre-Roman Italy (the Samnites and the Volsci) and on specific themes such as writing and religion.