Predatori esotici e prede nostrane nell’invenzione pittorica della Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri (V secolo) della necropoli di Monterozzi, a Tarquinia

A groundbreaking analysis of the Etruscan Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri (5th century BCE) in Tarquinia's Monterozzi necropolis reveals the first documented use of exotic felids, likely from the Near East or North Africa, as hunting auxiliaries. Multispectral imaging and multivariate analysis restored and virtually reconstructed the tomb's wall paintings, uncovering a sophisticated iconographic program featuring indigenous prey alongside these rare predatory species. This discovery sheds new light on Etruscan artistic and cultural practices, particularly their depiction of exotic animals in ritual or funerary contexts.

Masseti, M., Adinolfi, G., Carmagnola, R., Cataldi, M., & Marras, L. (2022). Exotic predators and indigenous prey in the pictorial wall decoration of the Etruscan Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri (5th century BCE) of the Monterozzi necropolis of Tarquinia. Aristonothos. Rivista Di Studi Sul Mediterraneo Antico, (18), 263–283. https://doi.org/10.54103/2037-4488/18106