Tumulo del Principe etrusco: a 7th-century monument in Pisa

The Tumulo del Principe etrusco is an Etruscan funerary monument dated to around the 7th century a.C. It was found in the northwest outskirts of Pisa, in the Gagno neighborhood, in via San Iacopo. In 1853, during the expansion of the suburban cemetery in via S. Jacopo, about twenty graves were found as part of a funerary complex centered around a mound 30 meters in diameter. However, it was only in 1994, during excavation work, that a necropolis with a large Etruscan mound was brought to light, representing the most important element of the extensive necropolis. The mound today features a crown of thin stone slabs set vertically into the ground with regularity.

About seven meters from this crown, pairs of monolithic stones are arranged at a distance of two meters from each other. In the northeast sector of the crown, two small slabs are inserted perpendicularly to the ground, which served as the support for what should have been a step, perhaps made of wood, to allow access to the area around the mound. Inside the monument, precisely at the center, is a complex structure composed of a large quadrangular pit, four meters on each side and one meter deep, where a wooden box was placed. Inside this box, a few fragments of vases, a bronze cup, and sheep bones were found, likely remains of a funeral meal. The pit was later filled with small stones and covered with earth up to the top of the crown slabs, except for a triangular-shaped hole filled with sterile clay, inside of which a iron trident with a ritually broken shaft was placed.

During the third quarter of the 7th century a.C, four burials were arranged above the mound, two containing individuals of the female sex and two of the male sex. One of the female burials features a cinerary, an olla, inserted together with the corredo in a large dolium placed on a stone floor within a circular hole closed by a monolithic slab; the other, less preserved, has the cinerary inside a lithic box. The male burials feature the cinerary, again represented by a small olla, resting on a stone slab along with the corredo, mostly weapons, enclosed by an inverted dolium covered with earth. A fifth burial, belonging to a young girl, was found in the space between the crown of the mound and the series of stone pairs. Her ashes are contained in a dolio placed in a pit in the ground along with a few items from her corredo: an unguentary, a gold pendant necklace, and a clasp.

During the 6th century a.C. in the area south of the funerary complex, a series of burials marked by cippi were noted, exalting the role of the mound as a monumentum gentis. The physical presence of various members of the gens around it seems to project the image of the kinship group itself. Consequently, the entrance to the mound was monumentalized with an articulated complex of stones that demarcate the access area; between the two innermost blocks, a crater with columns and an amphora, decorated with the black figure technique and datable to the 6th century a.C, were found in a pit. In the area outside the mound, there are two rudimentary altars for sacrificial rituals, evidenced by animal bone remains and an Attic cup.

The first report of the existence of the monumental complex occurred on April 5, 1967, during the construction of a well by the landowner. Materials were brought to the surface that Prof. Antonio Fascetti identified as Etruscan and announced the discovery of an Etruscan-Ligurian tomb in the press, handing the artifacts over to the Superintendence. Only in 1994, thanks to the photo and the article published in 1967, did more in-depth research begin in the area. After a few days of excavation, the slabs that were part of the crown surrounding the mound were uncovered. Burials of archaic age, cippi, and other slabs relevant to the monumental complex were found. Today, this complex is called the "Tumulo del Principe Etrusco" and represents a museum reality of the city, a tangible testimony of the past of Pisa.

It cannot be entirely excluded that the role, wealth, and prestige of the man buried here are linked to maritime activities. Interestingly, no human remains were found inside the mound, making the Pisan monument a cenotaph. The corredo is also quite modest, including an olletta and a pisside.

The sources for this story include: Piero Floriani and Stefano Bruni, La tomba del principe: il tumulo etrusco di via San Jacopo, ETS, 2006; Stevano Bruni, Pisa, necropoli settentrionale, tumulo di via San Jacopo, in Pisa e il Mediterraneo, 2003; Claudio Sorrentino, Il materiale osteologico animale del tumulo di via San Jacopo a Pisa, 2004; and official records from beniculturali.it.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons