La famiglia etrusca nelle fonti archeologiche di età villanoviana

T his contribution aims to evaluate the current state of knowledge regarding the family in Etruria during the Early Iron Age, drawing on archaeological evidence. The primary source material for understanding family structures and, more broadly, the social identities within a community, comes from funerary contexts. Such evidence, however, is characterized by a high degree of intentionality and is therefore particularly shaped by ideological factors. A major limitation stems from the fact that much of the available documentation derives from excavations carried out in the last century, which often lack methodological rigor, comprehensive biological data, and accurate graphic representations of site layouts. Settlement evidence from this period does not permit a meaningful analysis of the spatial organization of dwellings or the functional use of interior spaces - elements that, in other cultures and historical contexts, provide a crucial foundation for reconstructing family structure, kinship systems, and the role of the household as both a socio-economic unit and a center for production, distribution, and consumption.