It is the oldest monument in Pisa, outside the city, a sepulchral complex centred on the tomb of a “noble” Etruscan (8th century B.C.) known as the Tumulus of the Etruscan Prince.
A “noble” legacy
From the findings it must have been a person of high rank, a rich merchant of maritime activities, perhaps a military as the iron trident found inside the tomb suggests. Near the altar were found burnt remains: those of an animal, of pottery and statuettes in metal, wood or ceramic, intended to replace the deceased in a funeral rite when it was not possible to recover the corpse (in the mound were not found human remains of the deceased Prince).
The structure of the complex presents in the center the circular mound with a diameter of 30 meters, surrounded by a series of smaller tombs marked by thin stone slabs placed in vertical position. At the top of the mound is placed the altar, a thick marble slab found divided in two (broken during the funeral rite by blows of a sledgehammer) and on which were placed a knife, a horse jaw and four small swords. Also above the mound there are four burials probably reserved for family members of the prince. The necropolis was in use until the fifth century BC.
