In many historical accounts, the Greeks were knnown for their panel painting, yet none of it survives.  Some have hypothesized that Etruscan painting is a close aproximation to Greek painting.  Discuss the eveidence for and against this based on what you ahve read in your text.

What do Etruscan tombs tell us about the Etruscans' lives? Be sure to cite specific examples to illustrate your discussion.  How does it demonstrate contact with other cultures? How is it similar and diferent from Egyptian funerary practices?  What are the similarities and diferences in the use of animals to Near-eastern Art?

 
The tomb of Banditaccia Necropolis is one example. Each building site of a Etruscan tomb covered several dozens of of subterranean mutichambered tombs cut out of the dark local limestone called Tufa. This is very similar to the Egyptian tombs that had many chambers inside of the well built pyramids which were built from limestone. The underground chambers resembled the house of the living, which is very similar to the Egyptian ideology that if you preserve the body there will be an afterlife. The interior had beds, grand armchair, ceiling beams, framed doorways which were all similar to that which the Egyptians would do but sharply contrasted from the Greek way. The tomb of reliefs is another example. This tomb, like many others, accommodated many generations of a family. This shows that the Etruscans were a very family orientated civilization, with much respect going towards the elders, who were buried in special parts of the tomb. Also, the great pyramids, were also dynastic, where each Pharaoh and his offspring or successor would be buried in the same pyramid, or tomb, at time, not all the time though.