Sep 18, 2024
This wall painting from the Etruscan Tomb of the Augurs in Tarquinia portrays the figure of Phersu, a masked character prominent in various Etruscan myths. The scene illustrates a gruesome "game," where a man, blindfolded with a cloth and armed with a club, is pitted against a dog. Phersu controls the man by a rope as he suffers multiple bleeding wounds, symbolizing a form of ritual bloodletting. Dated to 540-530 BCE, this depiction reflects the religious and ceremonial practices of the Etruscan culture.
