Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 3 pages
obj
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Source Description

Modeled after Villanovan domestic architecture, this urn takes the shape of an oval-shaped hut with a thatched roof. The roof clearly shows the eaves and indication of five ridge logs that exceed the central ridge and cross one another. There are round holes, or dormers, in both of the roof’s gables that in a home, would allow for smoke from the hearth to escape. The rounded walls of the urn are interrupted by a large square opening that was closed off by a door. Tiny holes in the urn were used to attach a simple, square terracotta door that is now damaged. This hut urn probably contained the ashes from a cremation and was then buried underground. From the 9th through 8th centuries BCE, Villanovan culture flourished in northern and central Italy. There are no written sources from this period, but archaeological evidence offers a glimpse into the everyday life of Early Iron Age communities in Italy and reveals Villanovan culture’s many different ethnic, cultural, and political influences. The development of this rich culture led to the formation of the Etruscan cities that dominated central Italy beginning in the 7th century BCE.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
9465
label
Hut Urn
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
9465
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Hut Urn
description
Modeled after Villanovan domestic architecture, this urn takes the shape of an oval-shaped hut with a thatched roof. The roof clearly shows the eaves and indication of five ridge logs that exceed the central ridge and cross one another. There are round holes, or dormers, in both of the roof’s gables that in a home, would allow for smoke from the hearth to escape. The rounded walls of the urn are interrupted by a large square opening that was closed off by a door. Tiny holes in the urn were used to attach a simple, square terracotta door that is now damaged. This hut urn probably contained the ashes from a cremation and was then buried underground. From the 9th through 8th centuries BCE, Villanovan culture flourished in northern and central Italy. There are no written sources from this period, but archaeological evidence offers a glimpse into the everyday life of Early Iron Age communities in Italy and reveals Villanovan culture’s many different ethnic, cultural, and political influences. The development of this rich culture led to the formation of the Etruscan cities that dominated central Italy beginning in the 7th century BCE.
provenance
Sale, Christie's, Manson, and Woods, London, March 23, 1971, no. 83; Walters Art Museum, 1971, by purchase.
date
8th century BCE (Iron Age)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
pottery
urns
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
22
height
23
depth
28
dimensionsRaw
8 11/16 x 9 1/16 x 11 in. (22 x 23 x 28 cm)
Source extras
cul
Villanovan
med
impasto, hand made
creator_ids
5714
collection_ids
ROM
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
429517dd110d6638
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
ca4376307b2ce1bd
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
3b22e6f8d43a5cc7
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no