A view of the canals and two minor altars of the Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo.
Posted on 03/12/2019 9:02:17 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Bomarzo is an obscure little town in the Viterbo province of Lazio, Italy. The area of Bomarzo was once a part of the larger region of Etruria, which the mysterious Etruscans dominated... they built a curious structure out of the volcanic rock in a thickly wooded area of Bomarzo in a nearby valley. Today, people call it the Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo. Steep steps, a number of platforms, rectangular cubicles, and channels running at odd angles decorate the front wall... The Etruscan Pyramid at Bomarzo is a relatively new discovery. Two local archaeologists named Giovanni Lamoratta and Giuseppe Maiorano stumbled across it in the spring of 1991. But news of its discovery received little fanfare and it remained unknown to the world. Then in 2008, Salvatore Fosci, a local resident of Bomarzo with a passion for local history, decided he would uncover the Etruscan pyramid. When Fosci’s grandfather served as a sort of custodian of these woods, they called it Sasso del Predicatore ("Stone of the Preacher") or simply the "Stone With Steps." The stories his grandfather and father told about the stone inspired Salvatore to find it and clear away the roots and vegetation. In this way, he would make that amazing part of their history accessible to the world...
Etruscan builders carved the mysterious megalith from an enormous grey rock of volcanic tuff or "peperino." It measures about 53 feet long, 24 feet at its widest point, and 30 feet tall. Three steep staircases cover the front face. There are 20 steps on the lower staircase, which lead to two minor altars. The two other staircases begin higher on the structure and have nine and ten steps respectively. These lead to the main altar on the rock summit.
(Excerpt) Read more at historicmysteries.com ...
A view of the canals and two minor altars of the Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo.
more info and photos:
https://www.polatkaya.net/Etruscan_Pyramid_altar_Bomarzo.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/etruscan-pyramid-bomarzo
also in Bomarzo:
Bomarzo: Grove of the Monsters
The Unmuseum | 2007 | Lee Krystek
Posted on 05/17/2016 1:17:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3431432/posts
Looks like a stage for plays.......................
The Romans were fascinated by the Etruscans. They adopted much of their culture and even compiled a significant written history of them. Sadly those manuscripts have not survived. Hopefully an intact, well preserved library will one day be found at Pompeii or somewhere.
I haven't viewed this yet:
The Etruscan Pyramid - Bomarzo | Laran Tours of Lazio | YouTube | Published on Apr 9, 2017
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. [/snip]
As you like it............................
That would be nice. Emperor Claudius studied Etruscan and wrote a history of the Etruscans (all his work is lost, apart from some quotes I think), and the inscriptions of the Etruscans are largely short and/or abbrev. and carved on grave monuments. A couple weeks ago I was working on an Etruscan topic which I haven't used yet, will soon, which was primarily about one of the longer known texts, a grave monument that is large and inscribed on all sides.
The Romans got a lot of civil engineering techniques from the Etruscans, probably because they conquered Etruria (Roman kings had been Etruscans long before). This pyramidal altar stands in a valley that has Etruscan burials and other traces -- and the valley itself is artificial, literally carved down out of the rock.
How many ages hence shall this our lofty scene be acted over In states unborn and accents yet unknown?
Friends! Romans! Countrymen!
Lend me your ears!...................
Aaaahhhhhh.....
I can see the lovely gondolas of Bomarzo careening down the canals..... people screaming......the romance of it all.
As usual, you’ve made me wish I could grow up to be an archeologist.
Thanks!
‘Face
:o]
Lovely civilization. I went to the National Etruscan Museum in the Villa Giulla in Rome. In fact, I went twice during the month I was there. Etruscans had incredible skill at making gold jewelry and other objects. So happy I got to see it.
Sounds great, and, I'm pretty jealous now. :^)
I recall reading about a fake peach made of gold by the Etruscans, it had a fuzz on it that had survived somehow, also made of gold. I'm not sure anyone has ever figured out how they made it. :^)
I'm not sure that growing up was worth it. :^)
Be sure to see the other topic, the one about the mad sculpture park from modern times.
Here’s the links for the next whoppin’ topic about Etruscans (and this isn’t the one i’d worked on a couple weeks back).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHfo2NDFHho
https://rogueclassicism.com/2012/09/07/etruscan-pyramids-beneath-orvieto/
http://www.anselm.edu/News/Pyramid-Discovery.htm
Looks like the Inca had better tools.
:^) The Inca stuff is only a quarter or fifth as old as this. :^)
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