Embodied identities. An integrated analysis of anthropomorphic urns, grave goods, and cremated remains from the Etruscan necropolis of Tolle

The use of anthropomorphic ossuary, the so-called ‘canopic urns’, represents a burial custom documented during the 7th and 6th centuries BC in the territory of the Etruscan city-state of Clevsi/Clusium, the modern Chiusi (Tuscany, Central Italy). This particular type of ossuary represents a human body, serving as an ideal portrait of the dead, after the destructive action of cremation. Recently, the necropolis of Tolle, located on the western side of the ancient territory of Chiusi, has yielded 136 specimens, the largest series of canopic urns with intact contexts known. In this study, we conducted an integrated analysis of the canopic urn features, archaeological data (funerary rite, grave goods, status indicators, chrono-spatial distribution of the tombs within the necropolis), and osteological data of cremated human and faunal remains. Our aim was to test the correspondence between individual’s gender attributed through the urn’s iconography or grave goods, and the biological profile of the deceased, with particular emphasis given to the relationship between sex and gender. The results show a correspondence of 95.6% and allow us to describe the patterns of funerary behaviours, gendered role differences, and construction of identities in a large Etruscan community.