Aule Feluske, an etruscan warrior from Vetluna.

The stele, a sandstone funerary symbol, was probably placed on the mount of earth that covered a circular tomb. It was discovered in the late 19th century in the Vetulonian necropolis of Costiaccia Bambagini of Vetulonia and became part of the permanent collection in the Archaeological Museum of this centre in May 2005.

The stele, a one-meter high, rectangular slab, numbers among the most ancient specimens found in Etruria. On the face of the slab is the figure of a warrior, made through the fine engraving that recalls the technique used on contemporary Cretan models. Around the figure, along the edges of the slab, like a frame, runs an inscription in the typical structural formula of a gift. In fact, it states: “I am Avele Feluske, (son of) Tusnutaie and a (Pa)panai. I was given as a gift by Hirumina Fersnalnas”, having the name of the donator follow the formula of belonging. The use of the graphic sign “8” to identify the sound “f”, not yet diffused through the rest of Etruria, reveals a Sabine influence. The warrior represented is an image that alludes to the rank and social standing of the deceased; he is advancing towards the left and is equipped with a Corinthian-style plumed helmet and a hoplite’s shield, following a Greek model. He is wielding a two-edged axe, a weapon well documented in the Etruscan world, and exhibits mixed armour, typical of the recent Orientalising phase (ca. 600 B.C. circa).