page_title: Tomb of the Roaring Lions
section_title: Etruscan Funerary Practices
hierarchical_section_title: Tomb of the Roaring Lions / Context / Etruscan Funerary Practices
caption_attribution_description: Etruscan tomb
context_page_description: The Tomb of the Roaring Lions is an archaeological site at the ancient city of Veii, Italy. It is best known for its well-preserved fresco paintings of four feline-like creatures, believed by archaeologists to depict lions. The tomb is believed to be one of the oldest painted tombs in the western Mediterranean, dating back to 690 BCE. The discovery of the Tomb allowed archaeologists a greater insight into funerary practices amongst the Etruscan people, while providing insight into art movements around this period of time. The fresco paintings on the wall of the tomb are a product of advances in trade that allowed artists in Veii to be exposed to art making practices and styles of drawing originating from different cultures, in particular geometric art movements in Greece. The lions were originally assumed to be caricatures of lions – created by artists who had most likely never seen the real animal in flesh before.
context_section_description: The Etruscans were highly religious cultural group that held a strong fascination with the afterlife. Consequently, the Etruscans held an intense commitment to funerary traditions. Indeed, Etruscan tombs are so well decorated because of this intense fascination and they believed a notable offering would appease the dead and dissuade them from haunting the living. Burial sites were often located further away from the cities, which explains The Tomb of the Roaring Lions distance from the city of Veii. Like many Etruscan tombs the tomb was constructed from tufa, though often they were carved from natural bedrock. The tomb was also invisible from the surface, as is common amongst Etruscan tombs, however some tombs were marked by a tumulus. 
  Etruscans had two ways of preparing a body for the tomb. One was cremation, which was the method chosen in the Tomb of the Roaring Lions. In this practice the body is cremated and the ashes then placed into a decorated burial urn. Later on, around 500BCE and during the orientalizing period, inhumation was a practice that the Etruscans used. Inhumation involved wrapping the deceased in a linen cloth and placing the body in a terracotta sarcophagus, before placing the sarcophagus in the tomb. Practices were localised and the method of burial often came down to where the burial was taking place.Tombs were often frescoed with scenes depicting how the deceased lived their life, including particularly enjoyable moments such as banquets or great achievements. They often resembled miniature houses and were furnished and decorated to the extent that a house would be. Tombs were often elaborate and had different rooms, designed to resemble dining rooms and bedrooms. Some tombs, such as the Tomb of Shields and Chairs and the Tomb of the Reliefs, even included beds carved from tufa, stone chairs placed around the tomb and round shields. Other tombs had carvings of household tools and cooking utensils. This demonstrates the Etruscans intense respect for the dead.
caption: Etruscan tomb hidden from the surface, much like The Tomb of the Roaring Lions is hidden
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