Discovered Anew: A Faliscan Tomb-Group from Falerii-Celle in Philadelphia

Abstract

Many U.S. collections include Iron Age and later material from Faliscan necropoleis, often acquired in the 19th century. A set of objects in the University of Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia, have been analyzed recently, and shown to represent a tomb group from the Celle necropolis of ancient Falerii, with repercussions for the study of early Italic topography and urbanization, and also for our understanding of the early figural art of the “Orientalizing Bestiary.” The ancient Faliscan culture is better known in the U.S. than many other Italic cultures, mainly due to the 19th-century phenomenon of excavation and exportation of artifacts from Iron Age and later sites, particularly Narce (Mazzano Romano) but also others in the Ager Faliscus. Many collections preserve groups of Faliscan objects, and some at least harbor archival materials that may be keys to the restoration and re-evaluation of this distinctive, pre-Roman people, its society, and monuments. We present a newly reconstituted tomb group from the Celle necropolis of ancient Falerii, held at the University Museum, Philadelphia, and suggest the significance of its place in the development of Faliscan tomb types and vases. We urge others to re-examine old collections so that data may be preserved for future generations.