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Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo, Italy
Historic Mysteries ^ | prior to March 12, 2019 | unattributed

Posted on 03/12/2019 9:02:17 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Bomarzo is an obscure little town in the Viterbo province of Lazio, Italy. The area of Bomarzo was once a part of the larger region of Etruria, which the mysterious Etruscans dominated... they built a curious structure out of the volcanic rock in a thickly wooded area of Bomarzo in a nearby valley. Today, people call it the Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo. Steep steps, a number of platforms, rectangular cubicles, and channels running at odd angles decorate the front wall... The Etruscan Pyramid at Bomarzo is a relatively new discovery. Two local archaeologists named Giovanni Lamoratta and Giuseppe Maiorano stumbled across it in the spring of 1991. But news of its discovery received little fanfare and it remained unknown to the world. Then in 2008, Salvatore Fosci, a local resident of Bomarzo with a passion for local history, decided he would uncover the Etruscan pyramid. When Fosci’s grandfather served as a sort of custodian of these woods, they called it Sasso del Predicatore ("Stone of the Preacher") or simply the "Stone With Steps." The stories his grandfather and father told about the stone inspired Salvatore to find it and clear away the roots and vegetation. In this way, he would make that amazing part of their history accessible to the world...

Etruscan builders carved the mysterious megalith from an enormous grey rock of volcanic tuff or "peperino." It measures about 53 feet long, 24 feet at its widest point, and 30 feet tall. Three steep staircases cover the front face. There are 20 steps on the lower staircase, which lead to two minor altars. The two other staircases begin higher on the structure and have nine and ten steps respectively. These lead to the main altar on the rock summit.

(Excerpt) Read more at historicmysteries.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: bomarzo; etruscans; godsgravesglyphs; italy; lazio; pyramid; stoneofthepreacher; viterbo
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A view of the canals and two minor altars of the Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo.

A view of the canals and two minor altars of the Etruscan Pyramid of Bomarzo.

1 posted on 03/12/2019 9:02:17 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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more info and photos:

https://www.polatkaya.net/Etruscan_Pyramid_altar_Bomarzo.html

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/etruscan-pyramid-bomarzo

also in Bomarzo:

Bomarzo: Grove of the Monsters
The Unmuseum | 2007 | Lee Krystek
Posted on 05/17/2016 1:17:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3431432/posts


2 posted on 03/12/2019 9:04:10 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

3 posted on 03/12/2019 9:04:30 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: SunkenCiv

Looks like a stage for plays.......................


4 posted on 03/12/2019 9:06:15 AM PDT by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: SunkenCiv

The Romans were fascinated by the Etruscans. They adopted much of their culture and even compiled a significant written history of them. Sadly those manuscripts have not survived. Hopefully an intact, well preserved library will one day be found at Pompeii or somewhere.


5 posted on 03/12/2019 9:08:23 AM PDT by allendale (.)
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I haven't viewed this yet:
The Etruscan Pyramid - Bomarzo | Laran Tours of Lazio | YouTube | Published on Apr 9, 2017

The Etruscan Pyramid - Bomarzo | Laran Tours of Lazio | YouTube | Published on Apr 9, 2017

6 posted on 03/12/2019 9:10:02 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: Red Badger
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. [/snip]

7 posted on 03/12/2019 9:17:20 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: SunkenCiv

As you like it............................


8 posted on 03/12/2019 9:20:56 AM PDT by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: allendale
That would be nice. Emperor Claudius studied Etruscan and wrote a history of the Etruscans (all his work is lost, apart from some quotes I think), and the inscriptions of the Etruscans are largely short and/or abbrev. and carved on grave monuments. A couple weeks ago I was working on an Etruscan topic which I haven't used yet, will soon, which was primarily about one of the longer known texts, a grave monument that is large and inscribed on all sides.

The Romans got a lot of civil engineering techniques from the Etruscans, probably because they conquered Etruria (Roman kings had been Etruscans long before). This pyramidal altar stands in a valley that has Etruscan burials and other traces -- and the valley itself is artificial, literally carved down out of the rock.

9 posted on 03/12/2019 9:22:02 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: Red Badger
How many ages hence shall this our lofty scene be acted over In states unborn and accents yet unknown?

10 posted on 03/12/2019 9:25:21 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: SunkenCiv

Friends! Romans! Countrymen!

Lend me your ears!...................


11 posted on 03/12/2019 9:30:22 AM PDT by Red Badger (We are headed for a Civil War. It won't be nice like the last one....................)
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To: SunkenCiv

Aaaahhhhhh.....

I can see the lovely gondolas of Bomarzo careening down the canals..... people screaming......the romance of it all.


12 posted on 03/12/2019 9:35:30 AM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: SunkenCiv

As usual, you’ve made me wish I could grow up to be an archeologist.

Thanks!

‘Face

:o]


13 posted on 03/12/2019 10:01:42 AM PDT by Monkey Face (The emptier the wagon is the greater the noise it makes.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Lovely civilization. I went to the National Etruscan Museum in the Villa Giulla in Rome. In fact, I went twice during the month I was there. Etruscans had incredible skill at making gold jewelry and other objects. So happy I got to see it.


14 posted on 03/12/2019 10:32:22 AM PDT by Veto! (Veto! (Political Correctness Offends Me))
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To: Veto!
Sounds great, and, I'm pretty jealous now. :^)

I recall reading about a fake peach made of gold by the Etruscans, it had a fuzz on it that had survived somehow, also made of gold. I'm not sure anyone has ever figured out how they made it. :^)

15 posted on 03/12/2019 12:20:40 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: Monkey Face
I'm not sure that growing up was worth it. :^)

16 posted on 03/12/2019 12:21:33 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: blueunicorn6

Be sure to see the other topic, the one about the mad sculpture park from modern times.


17 posted on 03/12/2019 12:35:26 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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Here’s the links for the next whoppin’ topic about Etruscans (and this isn’t the one i’d worked on a couple weeks back).

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/mysterious-ancient-etruscan-underground-pyramids-discovered-italy-002326

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHfo2NDFHho

https://rogueclassicism.com/2012/09/07/etruscan-pyramids-beneath-orvieto/

http://www.digumbria.com/

http://www.anselm.edu/News/Pyramid-Discovery.htm


18 posted on 03/12/2019 12:40:07 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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To: SunkenCiv

Looks like the Inca had better tools.

19 posted on 03/12/2019 4:05:10 PM PDT by Fred Nerks (fair dinkum)
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To: Fred Nerks
:^) The Inca stuff is only a quarter or fifth as old as this. :^)

20 posted on 03/13/2019 9:21:01 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (this tagline space is now available)
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