Visions of light: New reconstruction techniques of photometric data and visual perception inside Etruscan painted tombs

This study utilises reconstruction technologies together with material and experimental photometric data to investigate how light intersects with perceptual processes inside subterranean painted tombs in Tarquinia, Italy. A fifth century BCE tomb, the Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri located in the Necropoli dei Monterozzi in Tarquinia, Italy is used to illustrate the usefulness of the methodology. Patterns involving the organisation of tomb imagery together with an analysis of specific lighting conditions in a scaled 3D space reframes tomb paintings in a manner that further recognises the performance of burial rites and other funerary activities from the perspective of human cognition. The methodology has applicability across archaeological settings and regions, particularly with respect to settings where little or no natural lighting is present.

Automated summary

This study investigates the interaction between light and perceptual processes in subterranean painted tombs in Tarquinia, Italy, using reconstruction technologies and experimental photometric data. The Tomba dei Demoni Azzurri, a fifth century BCE tomb located in the Necropoli dei Monterozzi, is used as an example to demonstrate the usefulness of the methodology. By analyzing specific lighting conditions and the organization of tomb imagery in a scaled 3D space, this study provides a new perspective on burial rites and funerary activities from the viewpoint of human cognition. The methodology has wide applicability in archaeological settings and regions where natural lighting is limited or absent.