Guerrieri in vita, eroi oltre la morte. “Condottieri” aristocratici a Rutigliano nel V secolo a.C.

e aim of this paper is to highlight how, for certain contexts of high level from Rutigliano (located in ancient Peucetia, now central Apulia), belonging to male members of high rank accompanied by prestigious defensive bronze armours, conscious choices are made at a thematic and compositional level in the acquisition of Atheanian and South Italian figured vases. Infact, these last show a particular predilection for some subjects, denouncing an intentionality resulting from specific ideological motivations. e privileged key to understanding is the analysis of the whole funerary context, understood both as a cultural environment of reception and as a specific background of discovery. A homogeneous context, such as the funerary one, in which ideological values deeply rooted in society are expressed and in which it is possible to grasp traits of the social articulation. For this purpose, some data, such as the tomb structure, the funerary ritual and the grave goods, deserve careful evaluation, as they constitute a complex system of elements that respond to multiple needs.