Paper short abstract:

Through the analysis of some elements of the grave goods from tomb 43 in the Buffaloreccia necropolis in Caere (Cerveteri), the paper investigates the evidence of an Etruscan cleromantic technique from the 6th century BC.

Paper long abstract:

Tomb 43 of the Buffaloreccia necropolis in Caere presents a very articulated funerary context. It consists of the inhumation burial of three female deceased, and the deposition of a young man in his twenties; he was incinerated and contained in a bucchero crater with a filter lid, that lied between the neck and shoulder of one of the three deceased. Eight tokens discovered in the tomb seem to refer to the divinatory practice of lithobolia. The deceased, possibly belonging to the same family, seem to have a connection with the oracular sphere and with the chthonic and katachthonic world, in particular with Acheloos, as shown by two balsam jars with his effigy placed on the chests of two of the deceased. It is perhaps no coincidence that the image of the superhuman agent is attested in the territory of Caere in the sanctuary of Sant’Antonio, which appears to have an oracular vocation.

In tomb 43, the presence of a specially made crater and tokens alludes to divinatory practices in which both the tokens and the crater can be considered instruments of communication with supernatural agents. It is possible to speculate that at least one of the three women inhumed in the burial performed mantic practices and that she was skilled in communicating with the superhuman. Based on archaeological and iconographical data as well ascomparisons with ancient sources, this work aims to investigate evidence of an Etruscan divination technique attested in the 6th century BC.