Embodied Identities: An Integrated Analysis of Anthropomorphic Urns, Grave Goods and Cremated Remains from the Etruscan Necropolis of Tolle

The use of anthropomorphic ossuaries, so-called ‘canopic urns’, is a burial custom documented during the seventh and sixth centuries BC in the territory of the Etruscan city-state of Clevsi/Clusium, modern Chiusi (Tuscany, Central Italy). This particular type of ossuary represents a human body and serves as an ideal portrait of the deceased after the destructive act of cremation. The necropolis of Tolle, located in the western part of this territory, has yielded 136 of these canopic urns, which is the largest collection on record from undisturbed contexts. In this study, we present an integrated analysis of the canopic urns, a wide range of associated archaeological data and osteological data of cremated human and faunal remains. Our aim was to test the correspondence between gender attributions on the basis of the iconography of the urns, grave goods and the biological profile of the deceased, according particular emphasis to the relationship between sex and gender. The resulting 95.6% correspondence is not only remarkably high but also allows us to describe funerary behaviour, gendered roles and identities in this Etruscan community.