LA TOMBA “DEL TRIPODE” DI FALERII VETERES. NOTE SU UN CONTESTO FUNERARIO DI ETÀ ARCAICA

Abstract

In 1894 a late archaic tomb was found at the Quattrini property in Civita Castellana (VT) and was named
the “tripod tomb” due to the unusual discovery of a bronze tripod with rods. The analysis of the various
documentary sources made it possible to recompose the arrangement of the objects on and around the tripod,
recreating the entire bronze set. The bronze vessels (cauldron, basins olpai, simpula and colum) were
accompanied by black-figure Attic pottery (Neck Amphora by the Villa Giulia Painter M 428, the Little
Masters Band Cup and a stemless cup with gorgoneion), bucchero pottery and large containers connected
to the practice of the symposium. The burial, dated to the last quarter of the 6th century BC, contributes
to the reconstruction of the social floruit of the Faliscan community of the period, capable of exhibiting its
wealth with the selection of a bronze symposium system of very high value as well as with Attic pottery of
considerable commitment.
This paper, supported by the related documentary sources, aims to present the context as a whole and provide
some insights to better understand the complex structure of the late archaic Falerii.