Lucian Tomb Paintings At Paestum
Lucanian conquest of the Greek colony of Paestum [Poseidonia] in c. 425 BCE develops a new cultural level to the local system of change. From that moment, Lucanians controls the area. Despite the change of the city details, the Greek influence seems to last. One can detect those evidences on the Lucanian tomb paintings. The found tombs are of a local limestone slabs. The Lucanian style differs in the tomb design. Their sides have triangular top to display a gabled roof of the tomb. Most Lucanian illustrations are funerary rituals and gladiatorial combats.
The images usually illustrate life celebration of the deceased and devotion of the living. The wall paintings of chariot races, dated to about 340 BCE, mostly show funerary games. On Tomb 48, there is a four-horse chariot driven by a charioteer, called a quadriga. The chariot race paintings have been representing Greek culture for centuries. This artistic element identified with funerals in Greek iconography. Lucanians adopted this theme from Greeks. Based on the pomegranates hovering on each side of the wall, the painting illustrates a ritual. Pomegranates symbolize death and rebirth in Greek culture [and myth of Persephone]. Thus, Tomb 48 must show funerary elements. The painting surrounded by a contrasting red color. Where the lower part of the wall displays an Etruscan method of marking the base of the wall, called dado.
In Greek art, women are often presented performing domestic duties, but not on Tomb 86. The painting presents a two-horse chariot with a female driver. That female seems to guide the deceased spirit to the underworld [funeral procession]. This role of psychopomp [guide of souls], used in the Etruscan funerary art. They present it as a winged chthonic figure of a female, the Vanth. She guides the deceased to the underworld. The female has wreath and wings, which seems to be of goddess Victory. In Greek iconography, the goddess associated with success in life. And often appears as a charioteer of Zeus in battles, which represents speed and victory. That might represent the deceased lived successful and fulfilling life. The painting background shows a clear combination of styles. The Greek frieze decorates the top. The Etruscan flowers decorate the empty spaces of the image [horror vacui]. This combination of Greek and Etruscan symbols shows a great cultural mixing. They also see this development in the Lucanian images of male figures. Yet, it differs in their representation.
In such, the duel of warriors on Tomb 271, shows a common celebration of “masculine excellence” of the elite male. Based on major emphasis of female domestic duties in Greek art, the Lucanian tombs seem to develop a clear separation of gender roles. The man on the left is in armour, wears a helmet, and has a golden shield. The man on the right has fewer details on his armour and on his shield. He wears no helmet. That might represent a man of a lower class. It is possible the image shows a point in the elite man’s life, one of his duels. A repeated Lucanian theme of an athletic scene of a blood flow shows which man is winning. But, might also represent blood sacrifice to the deceased or both. The space on the painting shows an Etruscan horror vacui. That is covering empty spaces with natural objects and plants. This combination of Greek and Etruscan styles influences Lucanian art. Later, forms a complex artistic approach that will contribute to the Early Roman Republic period.
