Tomba della Quadriga infernale Sarteano

The outstanding discovery of the Tomb of the Infernal Quadriga in October 2003 during the annual excavations in the monumental cemetery of Pianacce has been one of the most significant discoveries in the field dell'etruscologia decades.

The grave, dug in travertine to a depth of five meters with a long dromos of access, is decorated with a series of paintings with vivid colors and bright on a white plaster, stored in a surprising way.
But its uniqueness is constituted above all by iconographic themes treated. On the right side of the entrance corridor depicts a quadriga, consisting of two lions, two griffins, pulling a wagon led by a demon with a grim face and haunted eyes.
It is probably a representation of the innovative demon Charun, greek counterpart of Charon as a companion of souls to Hades, but as the charioteer as never attested in depictions of Etruscan art.

Beyond a niche carved along the corridor you will see a scene of great vivacity: two male figures lay on the bed for banquet attitude very affectionate and representing the two deceased in the grave while they are at a banquet in Hades. Maybe father and son, as the age difference shown.
Next to them a servant holding a colander wine.
Beneath all the painting, a frieze of dolphins that are thrown between the waves, symbolic representation of the transition to the afterlife.

Inside the quadrangolarecamera terminal, is painted a large snake with three heads that represents one of many monsters imaginary Etruscan funeral, as well as the most frequent hippocampus that appears on the bottom wall. Under the hippocampus stands a colossal gray alabaster sarcophagus with the deceased reclining resting on two pillows and a double kline in relief on the chest.

All the equipment was found in was extremely fragmented and recovered with a careful restoration work.

This group includes three beautiful bowls with red figures, two of the so-called Workshop Senese and Group Clusium, as well as black-glazed ceramics, burns very special perfume decorated with birds, gray ceramics and acrome, amphorae, game pieces glass paste.

Both the style of the paintings that funerary objects refer to a history in the second half of the fourth century BC and stylistic comparisons of the paintings tell us that the workers who came from the painted Orvieto where they had long worked in the necropolis of Settecamini.