Siena: the precious Etruscan prince's chariot visible to the public

The precious Etruscan chariot found in the 1980s in the necropolis of Poggione, near Castelnuovo Berardenga (province of Siena), is back on public view: as of Aug. 5 it can be observed at the Corboli Museum in Asciano, not far from where it was found. The find, also known as the Poggione buggy and dating back to the late 7th century B.C. or early 6th century, had undergone extensive restoration: it was also supplemented with a wooden frame that reconstructs its shape and dimensions.

The chariot, which may have belonged to an Etruscan prince, was pulled by two horses and had a seat and rear space for luggage or possible passengers, was also the subject of research conducted in parallel with the restoration. “It is,” explains Irma Della Giovampaola, archaeologist of the Superintendence of Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo and scientific director of the restoration, “a buggy that was functional for even long journeys, allowing seated travel, suitable for reaching the possessions of its owner, as well as for the transport of goods, a symbol therefore of his status, with a strong celebratory value of the rank of the noble group, not only of the individual, and of the role of control of the territory played by it. The placement of the buggy inside the tomb seems to support this interpretation, linking it not only to the funerary world as a symbolic projection of the journey to the underworld but also as a status symbol of the local aristocracy.”

Satisfaction also came from local authorities. “We are proud and pleased,” said Asciano Mayor Paolo Bonari and Culture Councillor Lucia Angelini, “that the chariot is finally returning to the museum. Our administration is firmly convinced of the role that culture and our two museums, the Corboli and the Cassioli, can play not only in relation to the local community, but also to increase the tourist attractiveness of our beautiful village nestled in the Crete Senesi.”

Those wishing to admire the prince’s chariot can go to the Corboli Museum in Asciano, open in August daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. For info: www.museisenesi.org.

Pictured: the Poggione buggy, from the Corboli Museum of Asciano Facebook page.

Siena: the precious Etruscan prince's chariot visible to the public

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