Image: Hypogeum cyark 1

Description: 3D view, facing west, of the Hypogeum of the Volumnis, Perugia, Italy, cut from a laser scan. A small vestibule rests atop the Hypogeum, containing several artifacts from surrounding tombs and a door to the steep staircase shown here. This is the only entrance to the tomb of the Velimna family (translated to Volumnius in Roman); it descends 5.3 meters underground over 30 steps through a travertine doorway into the main central chamber, or atrium. From this point the layout of the Hypogeum mimics a traditional Etruscan house, bordered by lateral chambers (two alae and six cellae) with a tablinum at the far end of the chamber. Of particular note is the form of the ceiling of the central atrium. Here the carved limestone ceiling explicitly mimics the interior form of the traditional wood framed Etruscan house, sloped in two directions from a central ridge beam, complete with correctly placed rafters, joists, and planks. The ceilings of the right ala and the tablinum likewise have the forms of coffered ceilings constructed of wood.
Title: Hypogeum cyark 1
Credit: CyArk
Author: CyArk
Permission: Creative Commons image, freely usable for any purpose with site attribution (www.cyark.org)
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes