APOLLO OF THE SCASATO, C. 310-300 BCE. MUSEO NAZIONALE ETRUSCO DI VILLA GIULIA This almost entirely freestanding statue was the main figure on the pediment of the temple of Aplu in the city of Falerii Veteres, today's Civita Castellana, on the rise called Lo Scasato. The magnificent head of the god, Apollo to the Greeks and Romans, is clearly modelled on portraits of Alexander the Great, head tilted up and eyes looking skyward, his hair falling in curls over his forehead. The great conqueror had only died within the previous 15 or 20 years. His muscular torso, tinted red to indicate not only his maleness but also his closeness to the sun, was able to be pieced back together after the ruins of the temple were excavated in 1886-1887. When the Romans finally defeated the residents of Falerii in 241 BCE, they resettled them in a less defensible site 3 km away, Falerii Novi, but this temple, with its cult, was allowed to function until around 100 BCE when it was destroyed.
For a #ReliefWednesday which is also my birthday, I offer you one of the great beauties of #Etruscan art, the #Apollo of the #Scasato, from #FaleriiVeteres, today's #CivitaCastellana, but today basking in the admiration of visitors in #Rome. #AncientBluesky 🏺
