Showcase ZERO. Etruria

The National Archaeological Museum boasts a magnificent collection of antiquities from ancient Etruria. The first vases, terracottas and bronzes were acquired in Italy in the 18th century by the Spanish Crown and assembled in the Royal Library, although the majority entered the museum in the late 19th century by way of the collections of the Marquis of Salamanca and Tomás Asensi. Others arrived with the Várez Fisa collection in the late 20th century and with the donation of Francisco Utray at the beginning of the 21st. The selected artefacts on display illustrate the importance of Etruscan culture in the dynamic history of the Mediterranean between the ninth and second century BC.

A region rich in metals where social and economic development proceeded at a steady pace, from the mid-eighth century BC Etruria was frequented by Greek, Phoenician and Near Eastern traders. During the seventh century BC, Etruscan aristocrats controlled economic resources and trade networks. Monumental tombs attest to their prosperity and dynamic culture.

Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities