Who let the animals out? Changing models in Etruscan mirror decoration

• This paper discusses why depiction of domesticated animals like sheep, goat and cattle are absent from the Etruscan mirror engravers repertoire. Occasional dogs and horses appear in scenes as markers of an aristocratic milieu. A youthful Atunis, for example, is accompanied by his sporting dog when he sets out to greet his lover. Depiction of domestic animals are common in other types of artefacts from the Etruscan culture. For some reason depictions of animals, surrounding the Etruscan people in their every-day life were not deemed suitable for decorating mirrors. This paper suggests a solution to this issue.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)