Reposted by Erme Lander
Erme Lander
@ermelander.bsky.social
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I'm Erme Lander. Author, Karate enthusiast, cat wrangler and parent - not necessarily in that order. Good to be here! I take snaps on my phone, sometimes they turn out nice. 😄 ermelander.co.uk
![Silver and gilt pyxis (box with lid), part of a group of three items known as the Bolsena silver. The bands of ornament on the box and alternate leaves on the pointed lid have gilding. The inscription written on the side of the cylindrical box in Etruscan must have been added subsequently. It reads śuthina, meaning "of [for] the tomb" suggesting that the objects were acquired by an Etruscan and buried with him.
The pyxis itself was originally manufactured as a luxury item in Apulia (southern Italy), likely in a Greek workshop. Marking an item as śuthina served a religious function in Etruscan burial practices. It legally and spiritually designated the luxury object as property of the deceased and the underworld deities. Once marked "for the tomb," the item was consecrated and could never be reused or stolen for the world of the living.
Height: with cover 3 5/16 in. (8.4 cm)
Apulian, possibly Tarentine, early 3rd c. BCE, Met Museum (03.24.6)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4gvknr7shvnikz4ymbtf7wye/bafkreiexikki45tndpnkqzmuho7upuipfuz2tpsaisahsflgje2etyc4ue)
