The three headed Lernaean Hydra wall painting from an Etruscan tomb at the necropolis of Pianacce, dated to the 4th century BC.

The three headed Lernaean Hydra wall painting from an Etruscan tomb at the necropolis of Pianacce, dated to the 4th century BC.




The Etruscan necropolis of Pianacce is a wonder situated over an extraordinary view of the Val di Chiana and consists of 13 underground hypogea, one of the most beautiful painted Etruscan tombs and a structure for holding funeral rites that is unrivalled in all of Etruria.

The tomb of the infernal chariot was discovered in 2003 at a site in Pianacce and is one of the most important discoveries of Etruscan civilisation ever found.

The tomb is characterised by a perfectly preserved coloured painting that depicts an exceptional iconographic theme: a quadriga (chariot) pulled by two lions and two gryphons and driven by a demon with a terrifying and possessive look, most likely an innovative representation of the demon Charun, the equivalent of the Greek Charon who accompanied deceased souls to Hades. The figure of the charioteer had never been seen in Etruscan art before this discovery.

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