Gioielli e ornamenti nel santuario dell’acropoli di Volterra

The paper illustrates the jewelry and body ornaments found in the Etruscan sanctuary of the acropolis of Volterra, made mainly of bronze, bone and glass paste and, in a smaller quantity, of gold, iron and semi-precious stone. Some valuable bronze jewels (pendents, pin, fibula) date to the late Villanovian age and they probably testify the existence of a religious site on the acropolis preceding the first stone structures of the sanctuary, built in the Middle Orientalizing period. Many accessories belong to women’s clothing and toiletry and they are connected to the worship of Demeter, revered especially in the western part of the sanctuary. A special case, to which the second part of this article is dedicated, consists of an engraved garnet gem showing the figure of Pan. The presence of this jewel in the sacred area can be explained with religious motives. The argument considers the presence of Pan and the Nymphs as deities belonging to Demeter’s cortege.