L'iconografia del mito di Eracle e Busiride e la manifestazione dell'alterità in Etruria

This paper will address the iconographic and iconological analysis of the conflict between Heracles and the terrible Egyptian king Busiris according to the myth known by Etruscans. It deals with the recording contexts of images and the relationship with their material supports, using a research approach that has so far focused almost exclusively on the Greek area. Once a necessary comparison with the Hellenic world has been established, Etruscan and imported Greek images are examined, recognizing Etruria as the favoured destination of the latter. The diachronic analysis of the documentation has made it possible to identify an evolution in the meaning of the scenes, especially of Heracles’ African opponents. In an initial phase of acquisition, the myth is functional to the social and political self-representation of its users, while in a more mature phase, it seems to be reinterpreted in a religious and funerary key. The implications of this interpretation are of crucial importance in framing future broader studies on the perception of the Negroid iconographic subject in Etruria.