Vanth (à droite), une divinité féminine des enfers étrusques qui agit comme un psychopompe (guide des âmes), habillé comme une chasseuse et tenant une torche en l'air. Elle guide une femme et un jeune garçon nouvellement décédés à l'au-delà, où ils sont accueillis par deux hommes décédés, probablement des parents. Charun (à gauche), une autre divinité étrusque, garde les portes des Enfers. Peinture murale dans les années 200 av. J.-C. tombeau étrusque dans la nécropole Monterozzi de l'ancienne ville de Tarchuna ou Tarchna, aujourd'hui Tarquinia, Latium, Italie.
4190 x 2783 px | 35,5 x 23,6 cm | 14 x 9,3 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
15 juin 2008
Lieu:
Monterozzi Necropolis, Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy.
Informations supplémentaires:
Cette image peut avoir des imperfections car il s’agit d’une image historique ou de reportage.
Tarquinia, Lazio, Italy: Vanth (right), a female demon of the Etruscan Underworld, holds a torch aloft as she guides a woman and young boy along the dark path to the afterlife; there they are greeted by two predeceased men, probably relatives. Wall painting in the late 3rd century BC Tomb 5636, the likely burial place of the Arnthunas family in the vast Monterozzi necropolis. On the far left, Charun, another Etruscan Underworld demon, sits guarding the gates of the Underworld. In Etruscan mythology, both Vanth and Charun were psychopomps: deities tasked with escorting the souls of the dead to the Underworld. As in other examples of Etruscan funerary art, Vanth is shown dressed like a young huntress, wearing calf-length boots below a short armless tunic. The Etruscan Charun, also known as Charu, was derived from the Greek Charon, paid to ferry souls across the River Styx, but performed a different function and was often portrayed as a more threatening deity. He carried a hammer while guarding the entrance to the Underworld and could be depicted with pointed ears, snakes around his arms and bluish skin symbolising death’s decay. The central pillar of Tomb 5636 has a much larger and more menacing painting of a winged Charun, with his hair a mass of writhing snakes. The burial chamber, discovered in 1969, dates from circa 250 to 200 BC and is among about 200 aristocratic or noble tombs in the necropolis with painted decoration. The frescoed tombs offer an unrivalled view of Etruscan daily life, including athletics, hunting, banquets, funeral rites and mythical scenes. The necropolis, first used in the 7th century BC, gained World Heritage Site status in 2004. UNESCO rates its frescoes as among the best examples of pre-Roman art in the western Mediterranean. D0719.A8604
