A Late Archaic Boxing-Dance in Etruria: Identification, Comparison, and Function

Abstract

This paper examines depictions of boxing in Late Archaic (ca. 540–480 B. C. E.) Etruscan tomb paintings. In it, I consider the indigenous elements of the sport and suggest that several of the boxers are, in fact, performing a boxing-dance. The existence of such a combat-dance is suggested by the event’s regular accompaniment by tibia (pipes), the frequent emphasis on performance rather than competition, and the enigmatic stances of several boxers who pose with raised legs. The identification of this combat-dance is further aided by a close analysis of the depictions within the tombs’ decorative cycles and contemporary images of dancing and revelry. Although Jannot previously suggested that there was a similar boxing-dance at Chiusi, this paper demonstrates that the Etruscan boxing-dance was more widespread than he initially believed. I also propose that its performance may be related to the later Roman dance genre, the tripudium, in its form and ludic context of performance.