Tour to the sepulchres of Etruria, in 1839 . ng. Along the sides, and ona sort of shelf or ledge, beneath the immense stoneswhich formed the roof, were found the ornamentedshields of bronze, but of such thin metal that theyhad evidently been made for ornament only, and notfor battle. Mingled with them were arrows, a bun-dle of which lay close to the bier. This bier hadfour short feet, and was formedof cross-barred bronze thus; itstood close to a walled-up door,the top of which was open, andupon this were placed two vasesof silver and two vases for liba-tions. At the head and foot ofthe bier we
Tour to the sepulchres of Etruria, in 1839 . ng. Along the sides, and ona sort of shelf or ledge, beneath the immense stoneswhich formed the roof, were found the ornamentedshields of bronze, but of such thin metal that theyhad evidently been made for ornament only, and notfor battle. Mingled with them were arrows, a bun-dle of which lay close to the bier. This bier hadfour short feet, and was formedof cross-barred bronze thus; itstood close to a walled-up door,the top of which was open, andupon this were placed two vasesof silver and two vases for liba-tions. At the head and foot ofthe bier were small altars forsacrifice, and by the side of itwere ranged a number of terracotta images,most probably re-presenting Lares. I do not re-collect the precise form ofthese, but in the graves at Caereare occasionally found very beautiful clay images,shaped like mummies, which, until I knew better, Ihad believed to be an importation from bones of the corpse lay upon the bier somewhatmore than three thousand years old, and CJERE OR AGYLLA. 347 liad the tomb been opened with sufficient care, thecorpse of the warrior himself might have been seenwith all his grave-clothes on, as has been the case insome of the ancient Agyllan tumuli, as well as in se-veral, probably, less ancient examples at he was brought into his last mortal dwelling-place, and left to his long and solemn sleep, reposingupon a couch which seemed to defy the hand of time,and having around him his arms and his altars, hisperfumes, and his domestic sacred images, or deifiedprogenitors. At his side also, as I was told, lay thewondrous inkstand, having upon it an alphabet ofthirteen consonants and four vowels, repeatedin syllables; and opposite the bier stood the smallhousehold carriage in which the corpse had beenconveyed to the grave, and of which the sides wereornamented with lions in bronze, in the style ofearly Greek workmanship. One vase for perfumes,also made of bronze, stood
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