Tomb of the Olympic Games

530-520 BC
The tomb was named after the Superintendent R. Bartoccini, who believed that ‘such a name was more suitable than any other, for the serene and happy competitive spirit that pervaded the scenes painted on the walls.’
In the centre of the back wall, there is a fake door.
On the pediments, there are symposia (banquets) with couples of men.
On the right-hand side wall, a large frieze illustrates funerary games: running, long jump, discus throw, boxing, and the ‘Phersu’ game.
On the left-hand side wall, there is a race of bigas (two-wheeled chariot drawn by two horses), the last of which has overturned, and the auriga (the person driving the biga) has been thrown into the air.
The tomb features very refined and elegant paintings, suggesting that it was probably painted by a Greek-Eastern artist.

The Etruscan Tombs

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