La tombe Torlonia de Cerveteri : nouvelles recherches

The Torlonia tomb is located in a hilly area of the Etruscan necropolis of Monte Abatone, to the east of Cerveteri. Comparison with other large Hellenistic chamber tombs suggests that it can be dated, with a good margin of probability, to around 300 BC. The unique architecture of this huge and complex monument can be subdivided into four distinct sectors: the access road, the open courtyard with a naiskos, the hypogeum and the tumulus above it. Among the possible models for this tomb, various elements point towards one of the most famous tombs of Antiquity, that of Alexander the Great. This hypothesis is based on its singular open courtyard whose closest parallels are offered by the Hellenistic tombs of Alexandria; on the presence of a tumulus whose perimeter was punctuated by small pillars; on various details of the layout of the chamber point to Ptolemaic Egypt. The lack of fundamental studies on this exceptional tomb has prompted us to resume our study of it on a new basis: this presentation will illustrate the different methods that have been applied (chiefly photogrammetry and 3D reconstructions), so as to provide an exhaustive publication that is essential for further study.