Il Medioevo di una tomba etrusca. Graffiti templari a Tarquinia

The painted walls of the Bartoccini Tomb in Tarquinia are characterized by the presence of graffiti dating from the first half of the 13th century. Such evidence is related to a so far unknown Medieval frequentation of the Necropolis and to an extraordinary reuse and repurposing of an Antique painting. The crossed analysis of the alphabetic graffiti – short texts in Italian vernacular – and of the figurative ones – crosses and stars, largely spread all over the walls, as well as other symbols – allows the authors to conclude that: 1) the people who arranged such a peculiar corpus were members of the Templar order; 2) the sexual intercourses reported by the graffiti as happened in the tomb, associated with an oath, should be interpreted as part of a ritual; 3) the Templars chose this tomb taking into account its peculiar architectural and decorative features.