The Tomb of the Duce

The Duce's tomb, located on the hill of Poggio al Bello, on the north-eastern slopes of Poggio alla Guardia, belongs to the "circle" type of tombs; its construction dates back to the third quarter of the 7th century B.C., at the height of the Orientalizing period, when Vetulonia seemed to reach the highest level of power and wealth in its history. The tomb of the Duce, to be considered a real family tomb, preserves the remains and the very rich trousseau of the Etruscan Prince Raku Kakanas, whose name is inscribed on the bottom of a silver cup; covered with silver foil was also the bronze ark that kept his ashes, embossed with royal (bull, panther, horse) and fantastic (griffin) animals and perhaps made by Syrian craftsmen working in Cerveteri. Dug in 1886 by Falchi, the tomb was violated in ancient times: the central pit had in fact been emptied. In spite of this, it was possible to recover from the other pits numerous objects, corresponding to at least four distinct funeral outfits that accompanied the dead of the aristocratic family buried in the pits inside the stone circle. The Circolo del Duce was found in the thick bush and brought to light on 30 April 2014, on the occasion of the celebration commemorating the centenary of the death of Isidoro Falchi, by the local Archaeological Cultural Association of the same name, named, like the Museum, after the famous discoverer of Vetulonia.