Un ‘esercito di terracotta’ per le dee: figure di guerrieri dai santuari di Campetti nord e Portonaccio a Veio (RM)

This paper gives the opportunity to reflect from an archaeological point of view on the theme of Conflict. This will be declined by focusing on the offering of votive terracottas depicting warriors, an iconographic subject rarely found in the sanctuaries of southern Etruria, but present in good quantities in the sacred areas of Veii, in particular in the urban sanctuary of Campetti north and the suburban sanctuary of Portonaccio. Through a preliminary analysis of the sacred areas under investigation, this essay aims to identify the number of warriors offered, highlighting the technical features of the production of these terracottas. Then, it attempts to reflect on the rituality underlying this offering: on the one hand, it is connected with female divinities who protect iuventus and youthful initiations; on the other hand, it is connected with cults linked to the mili tary sphere during a crucial moment in Veii’s history, marked by the conflict with Rome.