A sealed, intact tomb has been discovered in an Etruscan necropolis in the town of Barbarano Romano near Viterbo, central Italy. It dates to the last phase of the Orientalizing period, at the end of the 7th century B.C.
The necropolis of San Giuliano was in use from the 7th century to the 3rd century B.C., so this tomb dates to the early years of occupation. The rock-cut chamber tomb was sealed with a massive slab covering the entrance. Archaeologists were able to raise the slab to reveal the rich funerary furnishings inside the tomb.
Upon removal of the slab sealing the burial chamber, numerous vessels appeared, many of them in fine painted pottery, traceable to the Etruscan-geometric style. These objects seem to respond to a precise ritual performed before the final closure of the tomb. A basin and several bronze ornaments for the deceased can still be distinguished in situ on the left funerary bed.
The contents are currently being meticulously documented in situ. Of particular note is a vase placed at the entrance which archaeologists believe was deposited there as a step in the funeral rituals. Every vessel will be recorded before the tomb is excavated. The stratigraphic excavation will then provide further information on the identity and social position of the deceased.
The necropolis of San Giuliano has more than 500 tombs connected to a settlement of which few traces remain. Most of the tombs have been looted, either in antiquity or by modern thieves, and intact ones are extremely rare. That makes this discovery exceptional, not only because of the archaeological materials it contains, but because of what they can tell us about funerary rituals from this early period of Etruscan culture.
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