Episode Details

The Etruscan culture, which flourished from the ninth to the first centuries B.C. in Tuscany, left behind a rich history with many unique traditions that are reflected in the artistic objects found in their tombs, temples, sanctuaries and homes. Renée Dreyfus and Lisa Pieraccini will discuss the latest advances in scholarship and archeological discoveries, and in the translation of the Etruscan language, which have been leading historians to an ever better understanding of the Etruscan contributions to Roman architecture, art and engineering.

Renée Dreyfus, the curator of the current exhibit on the Etruscans at the Legion of Honor, has worked on bringing that exhibit to San Francisco for years: “This exhibition tells the story of this overlooked culture, featuring icons of Etruscan art surrounded by equally stunning and fascinating works that are little known or even unknown. Many of these works have never been seen in the United States before.”

Lisa Pieraccini consulted on Dreyfus’s Legion of Honor exhibit. She also leads a project to study the Etruscan artifacts at the Phoebe Hearst Museum at UC Berkeley, where she teaches a seminar focusing on its largely unpublished collection.

Join us, either before or after attending the Etruscans exhibit at the Legion of Honor, to hear from the curator and the consultant all about the nearly 200 objects from that ancient civilization that are on display—such as terracotta vessels and sculptures, dazzling gold jewelry, mirrors, recently excavated bronze sculptures demonstrating the Etruscans’ renowned metalworking skills, and the Linen Book of Zagreb: a third-century B.C. calendar of rituals and sacrifices for specific days of the year that is the longest Etruscan inscription known to exist. 

A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums.

In association with Humanities West and the Italian Cultural Institute.

Photos courtesy of the speakers; vessel image courtesy The Legion of Honor.

Organizer: George Hammond 

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