Au seuil des mondes : la face gorgonéenne dans l’imaginaire funéraire étrusque du vii e siècle av. J.‑C.

Abstract

The face of the Gorgon is a mythological figure of the margins. This mask face, as repulsive as it is mediating, entered the repertoire of Mediterranean imagers as early as the 7th century BCE. By assessing the notion of ‘limit’ in its metaphorical sense, this article aims to analyse the presence of the gorgoneion within Orientalising funerary contexts of southern Etruria. The goal is to examine the symbolic function of this particular image in the tomb. Indeed, the Gorgon is either represented isolated or as part of more developed iconographic programmes that illustrate the negotiated integration of a Greek imaginary figure within Etruscan religious beliefs. Particularly involved in Mediterranean exchanges, the city of Cerveteri undoubtedly played a key role in this process.