La divinità etrusca Carun (a sinistra) poggia una mano sul lungo manico del suo martello simbolico mentre siede a guardia delle porte degli Underworld, mentre due uomini si preparano ad accogliere parenti appena defunti, In questo particolare di una pittura murale della fine del 200s a.C. Tomba 5636 nella necropoli di Monterozzi dell'antica città di Tarchuna o Tarchna a Tarquinia, Lazio, Italia.
4138 x 2748 px | 35 x 23,3 cm | 13,8 x 9,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
15 giugno 2008
Ubicazione:
Monterozzi Necropolis, Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy.
Altre informazioni:
Questa immagine potrebbe avere delle imperfezioni perché è storica o di reportage.
Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy: the Etruscan deity Charun rests his left hand on the long handle of his symbolic hammer as he sits guarding the gates to the Underworld, while two men prepare to welcome the soul of their newly deceased relative to the afterlife, in this detail of a wall painting in the late 3rd century BC Tomb 5636, the likely burial place of the Arnthunas family in the vast Monterozzi necropolis of the ancient city of Tarchuna or Tarchna. The rest of the artwork shows Vanth, a female Underworld demon dressed as a young huntress, holding a torch to light the soul’s dark path to the afterlife. Between the two demons, a young boy gestures towards the two men as if to reintroduce them to the dead woman. In Etruscan mythology, both Vanth and Charun were psychopomps: deities tasked with escorting the souls of the dead to the Underworld. The Etruscan Charun, also known as Charu or Karun, was derived from the Greek Charon, paid to ferry souls across the River Styx, but had a different role and was often portrayed as a more threatening deity. The hammer was his religious symbol and he was sometimes depicted with pointed ears, snakes around his arms and bluish skin symbolising the decay of death. The central pillar of Tomb 5636 has a much larger and more menacing painting of a winged Charun, with his hair a mass of writhing snakes. The burial chamber, discovered in 1969, dates from circa 250 to 200 BC and is among about 200 aristocratic or noble tombs in the necropolis with painted decoration. The frescoed tombs offer unrivalled glimpses of Etruscan daily life, including athletics, hunting, banquets, funeral rites and mythical scenes. The necropolis, first used in the 7th century BC, gained World Heritage Site status in 2004. UNESCO rates its frescoes as among the best examples of pre-Roman art in the western Mediterranean. D0719.A8605
