Discover Cerveteri

Cerveteri is a comune of about 38,200 people in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in Lazio. It faces the Tyrrhenian Sea and lies 42 kilometres from Rome, with a territory of 125.57 square kilometres.

It is the site of an ancient Etruscan city — one of the most important of them — known to the Romans as Caere, to the Etruscans as Caisra or Cisra, and to the Greeks as Agylla. The modern name comes from Caere Vetus, "old Caere", used in the thirteenth century to distinguish it from Caere Novum, the town of the day.

The scale of what was here is hard to overstate. The ancient city had an area more than fifteen times larger than today's town, and the modern town occupies the south-western corner of its tufa plateau, covering about a tenth of its surface. Caere was one of the city-states of the Etruscan League, and at its height around 600 BC its population was perhaps 25,000 to 40,000.

What survives best is the dead city. The Banditaccia necropolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the necropolis at Tarquinia. It covers 400 hectares, of which 10 can be visited, and holds about a thousand tombs, often housed in characteristic mounds — the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean area.

Its wealth came from trade and iron. The city stood about 7 kilometres from the sea and grew rich on the iron-ore mines of the Tolfa hills, served by three sea ports, the chief of them Pyrgi.

What is Cerveteri known for? The Banditaccia necropolis, the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean area, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the necropolis at Tarquinia.

How big is the necropolis? 400 hectares, of which 10 can be visited, with about a thousand tombs, many under characteristic mounds.

What were the tombs like? Cut out of tufa, and most of them echo Greek architecture — chamber tombs built like rooms, with carved beams, capitals and furniture.

How is this different from Tarquinia? Tarquinia's necropolis is famous for painting; Cerveteri's is famous for architecture. They form one UNESCO site but are not the same experience.

What was the ancient city called? Caisra or Cisra to the Etruscans, Agylla to the Greeks, Caere to the Latins.

Where does the modern name come from? From Caere Vetus, "old Caere", used in the thirteenth century to distinguish it from Caere Novum, the town of the time.

How big was the ancient city? More than fifteen times larger than today's town, with a population around 600 BC of perhaps 25,000 to 40,000. The modern town covers about a tenth of its plateau.

Was it really founded by Pelasgians? Greek and Latin sources said so, but that is a learned tradition of late Republican and Imperial date, built on etymology. Modern scholarship treats it as the history of a legend rather than an account of the founding.

Where did the city's wealth come from? Trade, founded originally on the iron-ore mines of the Tolfa hills, with three sea ports — chiefly Pyrgi, linked by a road 13 kilometres long and 10 metres wide.

Why are the finds in museums all over the world? Because the tombs were excavated, often chaotically and illegally, over several centuries.

What is the Sarcophagus of the Spouses? The most famous work of art to have come out of this site.

How far is it from Rome? 42 kilometres.