Forms and Fabrics of the Terracotta Industry in Southern Etruria in the Third and Second Centuries B.C.

摘要

The material: Five moulded terracotta votiveheads from Tessennano, Te 1-5, three terracotta sarcophagi fromTuscania, Tu 1-3, two terracotta votive heads from Vulci, Vu 1-2and three votive heads from Tarquinia, Ta 1-3 are presented inthis study.2 They are included in a larger ongoing research andhave been dated to the late third and second centuries B.C.Moulds deriving from the same handmade prototype, hencecalled type Al, have been used on all sculptures (Fig. 1). Thevotive sculptures derive from votive deposits while thesarcophagi have been found in rupestral chamber tombs nearTuscania. These sites are all located in Southern Etruria, thenorthern parts of modem Lazio.Aim: The aim has been to compare sculptures from variouslocations, cast from identical moulds, or moulds derivable to thesame handmade prototype in order to discern how the type wasdistributed to various locations. Four possible ways areconsidered. Firstly, there may have been a central workshopdistributing ready-made products to various locations. Secondly,moulds may have been transported from the location of theworkshop responsible for the prototype to other, localworkshops, i.e. mould circulation. Thirdly, itinerant workshopsmay have moved from one location to another, bringing theirmoulds and skills to different locations of production. A fourthpossibility that has to be considered is local remoulding; amoulded votive sculpture may very well have served as aprototype for a new generation of moulds after having beenmoved from is location of production. This last possibility can,however, only be considered when sculptures made frommoulds for different generations compared.