Pyrgi

Pyrgi (Greek Πύργοι ) was the main port and emporium of the Etruscan city of Caere, north of Rome. The excavation site is located at Santa Severa, on the territory of the municipality of Santa Marinella.

History

Pyrgi 1957 found South of the Castle of Santa Severa in systematic studies. Before that, the only place from ancient sources ( Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo ) was known. In the same year, the first of today began about 30 excavations under Massimo Pallottino and Giovanni Colonna. The sanctuary of the city, which was consecrated probably the Leukothea ( named by the Etruscans and the Carthaginians Uni Astarte ), enjoyed a national reputation. The oldest traces indicate an occupation of the site in the late 7th century BC; since that time, probably there was also a shrine that was uncovered during the first digs. In 1983, however, came south of the famous sanctuary to another day, which consisted mainly of altars. Pyrgi was connected by a 10 m wide and 13 km long ancient road to the mother city of Caere. 384 BC the city was plundered by Dionysius I. of Syracuse. Beginning of the 3rd century BC, the north-west of the sanctuary on a promontory founded a Roman military colony, which was built over the fortress of Santa Severa in the Middle Ages. The sacred place was, however, until 2 / 1 Century BC on. In the Roman Empire period, pyrgi turned into a fishing village, later many summer villas were built.

The Sanctuary of Leukothea

From the Etruscan settlement are obtained only a few house foundations, the Roman colony rectangular contrast is partly under the medieval castle of Santa Severa. Particularly impressive excavated the sanctuary, which consists of two temples (A and B), an altar (C ) and a complex of buildings with several small chambers is there. The former temple (B ) dates from the late 6th century BC He was the first step to monumental shape of the area and was probably a Greek model, built in the style of a Peripteros. The temple was divided into a cella with pronaos and circular portico. The second temple (A) was built around 480 BC and is more like the Etruscan type. It consisted of a central cella with two flanking alae ( pars postica ) and a superior portico ( pars antica ). Both temples were parallel to each other and were oriented with the front toward the sea, so to the southwest. Between them was the altar ( C) with the temple (B ) can be dated at the same time. Since the former buildings of wood and tuff were merely the foundations and parts of the jewelry have received. The roofs were richly decorated with Ante bug fixes and other terracottas. Especially are the fragments of a Antepagments showing a scene from the word cycle of the Seven against Thebes.

The Antepagment the Seven against Thebes

During the excavations at the northern of the two sanctuaries several fragments of terracotta reliefs came to light. From these fragments Antepagment could be reconstructed, showing two scenes from the battle of Thebes. It was attached to the middle of the back of the temple A. Of the other five Antepagmenten that had to have adorned this temple, none can be reliably reconstructed. The reconstructed Antepagment, which is now exhibited in the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome, 1.37 m wide, 1.32 m high at the top and the characters stand out up to 40 cm from the relief. Illustrated are six figures, which can be divided into two groups. Firstly, the " Athena Tydeus - Melanippus " group and the other is the " Zeus, Krieger' - Capaneus " group. The first group shows clearly mark the end of Tydeus, the Seven went into battle as one and was critically wounded by Melanippus. In revenge for the wounding Tydeus bites the dying Melanippus in the head. This representation is unique in the Ancient Art. Athena, the patron goddess of Tydeus, rushes in to bring her mortally wounded protege immortality ( Athanasia ), shown here as a jug in Athena's right hand, but she recoils when she sees the cruel Rachetat of Tydeus and lets him die. The second group shows the end of Capaneus, who also marched against Thebes, and cried with a ladder when climbing over the city walls, that not even Zeus himself now could still stop him, to conquer Thebes. The father of the gods, however, punished him for this hubris and hurls him with one of his flashes of the ladder. The presentation differs somewhat from our traditions, because Capaneus not standing on a ladder here. Zeus raised his right arm and seems the sacrilegious Capaneus just entgegenzuschleudern his thunderbolts.

Gold plates of pyrgi

1964 brought the excavations of Massimo Pallottino three very thin gold plates to days, two of them in Etruscan and one in Phoenician / altpunischer language.

The longer Etruscan and Punic inscription have a similar content, are in the text but not identical. They act by a ruler of Caere with names Thefarie Velianas, who in his third year of reign at this point the university ( Astarte ) consecrated a temple with statue. This action was done on the orders of the goddess.

The shorter Etruscan inscription is again a litany to the rites and suggests an additional worship of Tinia (Jupiter) in the sanctuary at. Nail holes in the plates prove that these were once struck. In addition to the fact that so a designation of the sanctuary of pyrgi was possible, the sheets are in addition to the Agram mummy bandage as an outstanding discovery of the Etruscan language and writing.

The gold plates are exhibited in the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome.