La Freccia Novembre 2019

IN BOLOGNA,
AN EXCEPTIONAL
EXHIBITION PRESENTS
A JOURNEY AMONG
THE RASNA, THE NAME
THAT THE ETRUSCANS
GAVE THEMSELVES.
THOUSANDS OF
OBJECTS AND WORKS
OF ART FROM DOZENS
OF PRESTIGIOUS
MUSEUMS ARE
ON DISPLAY
Perugia, Elce
Tomba 1 in corso di scavo (II-I sec. a.C.)
Tomb 1 under excavation (2 nd to 1 st century BC)
Almost 20 years after the
great Etruscan exhibitions
in Bologna and Venice,
the Civic Archaeological Museum of
Bologna has created an ambitious
exhibition project dedicated to the
ancient civilization, with over 1,400
objects from 60 museums and Italian
and international bodies. Etruschi.
Viaggio nelle terre dei Rasna (Etruscans.
A journey through the lands of the
Rasna), open from 7 December to 24
May 2020, is an exhibition promoted
and designed by the Bologna Museums
Institution – Civic Archaeological
Museum, in collaboration with the
Chair of Etruscology at the University
of Bologna, and realised by Electa. The
event presents a fascinating journey
through the lands of the Rasna – the
name by which the Etruscans called
themselves – among archaeology
and landscapes, and will highlight
new finds and research on the history
of one of the most important peoples
of ancient Italy. We will discover that
there is not just one Etruria, but multiple
territories that have shown signs of
different settlements, urbanization,
management and economic models all
under the auspices of a single Etruscan
culture. What better metaphor could
there be than a journey, sweeping
through a vast territory stretching from
the foggy plains of the Po as far as the
arid Vesuvius, among Apennine and
marine landscapes, along roads and
river courses? In the first part of the
exhibition, a modern and skilful setting
explores The time of the Rasna – the
key periods of their long history, from
the 9 th to the 2 nd century BC. The journey
then moves onto the next, larger
section entitled The lands of the Rasna,
in which changing landscapes shape
the foundation of the main Etruscan
settlements, offering fascinating
themes and new excavations and
studies. We will travel through Southern
Etruria, with its tufo plateaus, fertile
plains and gentle coasts, home to Veio,
Tarquinia, Cerveteri Pyrgi and Vulci; we
will travel as far as the complex and
rich land of Campanian Etruria, where
peoples and cultures mix. The journey
then leads to Inner Etruria, the one
through which the Tiber flows. One
of the most important archaeological
discoveries of recent years, the Fanum
Voltumnae, the federal sanctuary of all
the Etruscans, is on display from the
city of Volsinii, as the Etruscans called
Orvieto. The journey through Northern
Etruria is characterised by the sea, the
rivers and the inland roads, with the
settlements of Populonia and Vetulonia
as protagonists, before heading up
the Tyrrhenian coast to the Apennine
ridge to reach Padanian Etruria. This is
a vast territory that, starting from the
Apennines of Verucchio, land of the
lords of amber, and from the "new city"
of Marzabotto, reaches the Adriatic
Sea and the towns of the western
plain, passing through Felsina, the
Etruscan Bologna that ancient sources
call Princeps Etruriae, to emphasise
its importance and ancient origins. A
rich and exciting journey that, through
ever-changing landscapes, leads to the
discovery of our past.
Vaso situliforme in terracotta, Chianciano Terme, necropoli di Tolle, Tomba 704
Chianciano Terme, Museo Civico Archeologico delle Acque, Soprintendenza Archeologia-
Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Siena, Grosseto e Arezzo
Terracotta situliform vase, Chianciano Terme, necropolis of Tolle, tomb 704
Archaeological Museum of Chianciano Terme, Archaeological, Fine Arts and Landscape
Superintendence for the provinces of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo.
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