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The fifth Byvanck lecture, by Prof. Maria Bonghi Jovino (University of Milan, Italy), will be on the subject of Etruscan temples.  This year's lecture is associated with the special double exhibition Etruscans: Eminent Women, Powerful Men, now showing at the National Museum of Antiquities and the Allard Pierson Museum. The lecture will be given in English.

The Archaic Temples of the Etruscans

We know from Livius that the Etruscans considered temples as the most significant aspect of their religion. This research aims to re-examine and describe the evidence of the most important archaic temples with a general analysis of the cultic sphere of Etruscans, Greeks and other populations settled in the Mediterranean area.

The lecture is divided in two parts. Firstly, the principal theories on temples will be reviewed, including the early opinions of the 19th and the first decade of the 20th century (Piranesi, Le Roy, Fenger) and the hypothesises on the temples of S. Omobono in Rome, Satricum, Veio-Portonaccio, Giove Capitolino in Rome, and Tarquinia.

In the second part, an overview of the recent investigations at Tarquinia and a hypothetical reconstruction of the temples of the Ara della Regina Sanctuary will be presented. The latter will not be based on Vitruvius' text but directly on the archaeological evidence. Finally, the principal differences and analogies between Greek and Etruscan temples, according to their religions, will be distinguished.

• This lecuture will be moderated by dr. L. B. van der Meer

Prof. Maria Bonghi Jovino

Prof. Maria Bonghi Jovino was born in Naples and has had a remarkably impressive career. She is a Professor of Etruscan Studies and Italic Archaeology at the University of Milan, and has also lectured at Sapienza University in Rome. In addition to directing excavation projects at sites such as Pompeii and Tarquinia, Prof. Bonghi serves on the editorial board of various journals. She is also an influential member of learned bodies such as the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi e Italici.

Byvanck Lecture

The annual Byvanck Lecture is presented by the Stichting Babesch (Bulletin Antieke Beschaving) in partnership with the National Museum of Antiquities and the Stichting Byvanck. The first lecture was given in 2007.

• Date: Tuesday 1 November 2011
• Time: 20.00 (hall opens at 19.30)
• Location: Tempelzaal, National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden
• Admission: free
• Language: English
• If you plan to attend, please let us know by sending an e-mail to the Stichting Babesch
• We invite you to join us for a free drink after the lecture

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