Rethinking Etruria Exhibition Opening Soon
Opening on April 23, ISAW’s spring exhibition Rethinking Etruria spotlights newly excavated material from two Italian sites—the sanctuary of Poggio Colla and the Lattanzi tombs from Norchia—and how these discoveries, alongside novel digital approaches, have revealed intriguing new insights about the Etruscan people and their still enigmatic culture.
Rethinking Etruria features some 50 objects from archaeological excavations as recent as 2024, many of which have never been displayed before. Bronze votive figurines and decorated loom weights from Poggio Colla provide glimpses into the lives of the everyday figures who made these objects, and those of the elites who utilized them as ritual offerings. Etruscan funerary beliefs and cross-cultural interactions are explored through the grave goods unearthed at the Lattanzi tombs. Painted ceramics showcase the importance of Greek banqueting in Etruscan celebrations of the dead, while colossal sculpture that once decorated the tombs’ facades attests to the significant contacts with the Hellenic world. Finally, Latin and Etruscan inscriptions on funerary objects reveal the complex cultural changes that affected Etruscan people as a result of the Roman conquest.
Multimedia installations powered by innovative digital applications offer gallery visitors exciting new perspectives on these Etruscan sites. A 3D printed replica of a large stele found at the Poggio Colla sanctuary allows viewers to discover hidden—and even erased—inscriptions, and learn more about how the Etruscan script is being deciphered. AI-generated reconstructions of this sanctuary situate the stele in its lived context. Panoramic views of the tombs at Norchia are unveiled through sweeping, newly commissioned drone footage to immerse visitors in the landscape of the necropolis. Interactive 3D models showcase the site’s crowning object: a fully intact, red-figure stamnos (wine jar) depicting scenes inspired by Homer’s epics.
By combining archaeological finds and digital approaches, Rethinking Etruria shapes our vision of Etruscan society, amplifying the voices of its people and providing insights into their culture through their own words.
Rethinking Etruria is organized by ISAW in partnership with the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la Provincia di Viterbo e per l'Etruria Meridionale (SABAP-VT_EM) and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Firenze e le province di Pistoia e Prato (SABAP-FI). The Poggio Colla gallery is curated by Gregory Warden, Mark A. Roglán Director of the Custard Institute for Spanish Art and Culture at the Meadows Museum; Michael Thomas, Director of the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at UT Dallas; and Maurizio Forte, William and Sue Gross Distinguished Professor of Classical Studies Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University. The Norchia gallery is curated by Vincent Jolivet, professor at the École Normale Supérieure and member of the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
Loans to the exhibition were granted by Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per la Provincia di Viterbo e per l'Etruria Meridionale (SABAP-VT_EM) and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle arti e Paesaggio per la città metropolitana di Firenze e le province di Pistoia e Prato (SABAP-FI).
This exhibition was made possible by generous support from the Leon Levy Foundation.
Additional information about the exhibition can be obtained by calling 212.992.7800, emailing isaw@nyu.edu, or visiting https://isaw.nyu.edu/exhibitions. The exhibition, free and open to the public, runs until July 20.
