Georgian National Museum hosting Tbilisi display of Etruscan civilisation

A display of Etruscan civilisation is on display for the first time for visitors of venues of the Georgian National Museum network, with the exhibition highlighting exhibits and history of the ancient community hosted at Tbilisi’s Museum of Georgia.

Coming as the latest chapter in the GNM network’s collaboration with the Italian Embassy, the event is offering a chance of exploring the “mysterious” world of the pre-Roman civilisation and discovering their customs, traditions, writings and beliefs on the afterlife, the diplomatic office noted.

Photo via Ambasciata d'Italia a Tbilisi

It brings to the venue exhibits sourced from the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, the Chianciano Terme museum of Etruscan history and the National Etruscan Museum in Chiusi.

It showcases urns discovered in archaeological digs in the Chiusi area that served as storage of ashes, as well as sculptures, bucchero ceramics, bronze vessels and gold objects.

Photo via Ambasciata d'Italia a Tbilisi

The display also brings to the museum space two exhibits related to western Georgia’s ancient Colchis Kingdom - a clay vessel dated back to between 400-380 BCE and a bronze mirror from between 300-275 BCE - with the items illustrating the theme of the ancient myth of the Argonauts.

Photo via Ambasciata d'Italia a Tbilisi

The launch event saw diplomatic corps, academic community and representatives of Italian museums, with Mario Iozzo, the Director of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, Alessia Autuori, the head of the Glocal Project Consulting and Antonella Magagnini, the curator of the exhibition also in attendance.

The Tbilisi venue will host the exhibition through March 31, before it runs at the Vani Archaeological Museum in Georgia's west through August 31.