Cinerary urn, rectangular, with lid, terracotta, decorated, probably Etruscan, 300-200 BCE

The ashes of a cremated body were contained in this cinerary urn. The scene shows a battles scene showing the hero at the plow, which is usually interpreted as the Greek hero Echetlos. Echetlos was a civilian who battled the Persians at the battle of Marathon. The urn is made of terracotta. It is thought to be of Etruscan origin, made in the northern city of Chiusi, modern day Tuscany. The Etruscans ruled much of what is now Northern Italy before the rise of the Roman Empire.