Tomb of the Bulls

The Tomb of the Bulls (Italian: Tomba dei Tori) is an Etruscan tomb in the Necropolis of Monterozzi near Tarquinia, Italy. It was discovered in 1892 and has been dated back to either 540–530 BC or 530–520 BC. According to an inscription Arath Spuriana apparently commissioned the construction of the tomb. It is named after the two bulls which appear on one of its frescoes. It is the earliest example of a tomb with complex frescoes in the necropolis.

Like other Etruscan tombs, it would originally have contained many grave goods, especially Etruscan pottery, now removed.

The entrance to the tomb leads to the main chamber. The back wall of the main chamber is opposite to the entrance and contains two doorways that lead to two other chambers. Frescoes with brightly colored animals adorn the gabled areas at the top of the front and back walls of the chambers. These include bulls, birds, hippocampi, a panther, a lion and a goat. The back wall of main chamber is the only wall with frescoes painted below the gable.

The tympanum of this wall is decorated with a fresco of a man on a horse on the right. He is opposed to the Chimaera on the left.

Below the tympanum and above the two doorways is a fresco with two erotic scenes. In the left scene one man rests on his knees and forearms, facing to the right. A woman lies on his back. A man standing behind them to the left has sexual intercourse with the woman. They pay no attention to a calm bull which lies further to the left. In the right scene two men have sexual intercourse, which angers a bearded, man-headed bull with a phallus. The man who is being penetrated sees that the bull is charging at them from the left. He is not in a good position to flee because he is being held by the man penetrating him from behind, who looks the other way. Along with the frescoes of the Tomb of the Whipping these paintings are relatively rare examples of explicit sexual scenes in Etruscan art, which were far more common in Ancient Greek art.

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