L'incontro tra iconografia orientalizzante e materia prima degli dei: la nascita della raffigurazione in ambra in area etrusco-laziale

Between the 8th and the 7th century BC, in the Etruscan and Latial geographical region, the first important group of carved ambers appears in the Italian Peninsula. The finds are located predominantly in the funerary contexts of Veio, Vetulonia, Satricum and Narce. During the 7th century BC the presence of semi-finished products and raw material testifies active workshops in Vetulonia and Satricum. We can suppose the existence of other amber workshops in Veio, where the most ancient artifacts have been found, and perhaps in Narce, where between the 8th and the 7th century BC different styles and particular representation are testified. Carved ambers of this area usually represent dogs, crouching monkeys and nude female figures. Between the 8th and the 7th century BC these subjects characterize Etruscan-latial manufacturing, but they don’t appear outside this geographical context or during the next period, with some sporadic exceptions. This iconography comes from Near East and Mediterranean and refers to the afterlife and the divinity: these artifacts can be considered as amulets. Also the carved ambers from Satricum refer to a fantastic world: they represent hybrid beings and they are an unicum in the area considered.