The Face of the Ancestors: Head of Etruscan Statue

This statue head, dated between the late 7th and early 6th centuries B.C., was found outside the Molinello Tumulus. Together with two other statue fragments, it probably decorated the dromos of Tomb B, depicting the ancestors of the deceased. Made in the Chiusi “Dedalic” style, this head is distinguished by its large almond-shaped eyes, oval face, and stepped hairstyle (Etagenperüke). The term “Dedalic style” recalls the mythical Greek sculptor and architect Daedalus and, in modern studies, identifies 7th-century BCE Greek sculptures influenced by Egyptian art.