The archaeology of Etruscan society

The late sixth century was a period of considerable change in Etruria; this change is traditionally seen as the adoption of superior models from Greece. In a radical re-alignment of agency, this book examines a wide range of Etruscan material culture - mirrors, tombs, sanctuaries, houses and cities - in order to demonstrate the importance of local concerns in the formation of Etruscan material culture. Drawing on recent theoretical developments, the book emphasises the deliberate nature of the smallest of changes in material culture form, and develops the concept of surface as a unifying key to understanding the changes in the ways Etruscans represented themselves in life and death. This concept allows a uniquely holistic approach to the archaeology of Etruscan society and has the potential for other archaeological investigations. The book will interest all scholars and students of classical archaeology.• Offers a new interpretation of Etruscan society • Brings together different types of material culture within a single coherent framework • Proposes surface as an overarching means of looking at material cultureContentsIntroduction; 1. Models of change in Etruria; 2. Etruscan mirrors: reflections on personal and gender identity; 3. Funerary architecture: the living and the dead; 4. Sanctuaries: the sacred and the profane; 5. Domestic architecture: public and private; 6. Urban form and the concept of the city; 7. Making Etruscan society: culture contact and (material) culture change