Explore the Cremation about the Historical context of this artwork.
Etruscan culture had an appreciation for taking care of the remains of their loved ones; this is seen by how many resources were put into creating their tombs and funerary art, so much so that their cemeteries were often called the 'cities of the dead' or a necropolis. The main funerary practice for the dead was cremation, where they placed their loved one's ashes and bones into a cinerary urn or ash urn.The Villanovans, people who were part of the Etruscan culture, created a different type of urn that was biconical. It has two cones connected together made without a potter's wheel, keeping the clay coarse and unrefined. They also made clay huts to contain their remains, which resemble the houses they lived in that have been found at an important Etruscan site, Cavalupo. They could place personal items with them such as weapons for men and jewelry for women.Archeologists have uncovered different types of Etruscan hut urns that have contained both male and female ashes and bone fragments, so it can be presumed that the Sarcophagus of the Spouses would have contained cremated remains.
cremation Sarcophagus Villanovans Cremation urn Etruscan necropolis