The Colonnello Tumulus is distinguished by its monumental façade and encloses four tombs, like Great Tumulus II. The earliest, dating to the beginning of the 6th century BC, has a long dromos and a chamber whose pitched ceiling imitates timber construction. The Twin Tomb complex includes the Tomb of Marce Ursus, named after the Etruscan inscription cut into its wall. A vertical shaft connected the vestibule to the exterior and may have allowed libations and offerings to reach the dead without reopening the entrance.
What to look for
Identify the different façades incorporated into the same mound: they record successive additions and uses, not a monument built in a single phase.
Discovery and excavation
The UNESCO dossier describes its four tombs, the Twin Tombs and the ritual shaft in the Tomb of Marce Ursus.