Vatican Museums

During the Orientalising period, carts were placed in the tombs of aristocratic Etruscans along with insignia of rank and the ceremonial apparatus of the conviviality borrowed from the near-eastern world. In the Regolini-Galassi Tomb, three different types of vehicle have been identified, reconstructed in 2013, which substitute the old versions of the cart, the chariot and the throne.
The biga, or two-horse chariot, used by men for war, hunting and races, has a function similar to that of the Roman currus (biga, triga or quadriga). It is of the Greek type, as shown by the typical four-spoke wheels, the body suitable for carrying two occupants side by side, and a dorsal yoke, otherwise exceptional for the Italico-Etruscan world.
The second cart, drawn by mules or donkeys rather than horses, was also used by women and in daily life for passengers, with or without baggage, as well as for ceremonies. Equipped with a system of rotating axels, it was driven while seated; it is similar to the Roman carpentum.
The third cart, with two wheels and a platform, was used in everyday life for heavy transportation. In this case, it was used to carry the deceased to the tomb.
The modern wooden parts suggest the ancient form, whereas those in leather have not been reconstructed. Virtual three-dimensional reconstructions, coloured according to the ancient materials, illustrate its original, multi-material appearance.