Architectural decorations, ceramics and terracottas from Veii (Etruria): A preliminary study

A comparative study of archaic and late archaic materials was undertaken with the aim of creating a ceramic and architectural database on clay production at Veii (Etruria) from the Iron Age to the Romen Conquest (structural clay characteristics, working techniques, materials and techniques for surface refinement and application of decorations) and to define the state of technological knowledge, production sites (workshops) and the circulation of manufacts. Materials were the following: among the pottery, a grey bucchero ossuary (Fig. 1) from the Grotta Gramiccia necropolis; among architectural terracottas, one of the large red and brown bases of the statues of the Portonaccio sanctuary (Fig. 2 a, b) and a red, brown and blue antefix with a female head surrounded by a nimbus from Casale del Fosso. All these materials add to the data obtained from previous works on architectural decorations and sculptures in terracotta from Veii.