Final Draft - Preview Matter - Florida State University

was likely difficult even for the ancients to separate the identities of Dionysos, Liber, and
Fufluns.
This examination of the bull therianthrope has thus far focused on a hybrid composed of
the body of a man and the head of a bull, but the mingling of human and bull form is not
confined to one iconographic type. 521 Classical art preserves numerous examples of bulls with
the head of a man, the most well-known Etruscan example of which appears in the Tomb of the
Bulls (Fig. V.6). 522 The Tomb of the Bulls draws its name from the presence of a bull reclining
and a charging bull with a man’s head in the upper register of decoration on the back wall of the
tomb. Two erotic scenes are present in the same register of decoration as the bulls, but there is a
great deal more painted decoration on the walls of this tomb, among which is a representation of
Achilles’ murder of the Trojan prince Troilos. It is a fair question to ask whether or not the
artist, or artists, who painted these frescoes meant for there to be a unified theme present in the
decoration. Is the man-bull related to the scene of the death of Troilos? There is no indication
that this is the case. Nevertheless, scholars, such as J. Oleson have argued that tomb is unified
by references to Apollo, in the presence of an object he identifies as a sun, and Dionysos, in the
form of ivy leaves. 523 If one accepts this proposal, then associating this bull with Dionysos
might be attractive. However, as stated earlier, it seems more likely that this is meant to be an
image of either Achelous or an unidentified river god. One last detail deserves further thought.
There is a direct contrast between the more normal, reclining bull and the bull with a man’s head.
One peacefully sits amongst the grass while the other, in an ithyphallic state, charges forward
with his head lowered and horns poised to gore the amorous couple before him. The viewer is
thus faced with a visual reminder of the unpredictable nature of the bull that could be both
benign and peaceful but also stirred to violent action.
Unfortunately, the identity of the man-bull in the Tomb of the Bulls, like the identities of
the therianthropes on the terracotta plaque from the Regia and the red-figure vase by the
Settecamini Painter, is not secure. He is depicted with his head down, moving forward as if
charging a pair of men engaged in homosexual activity. The significance of this component of
the scene is difficult to interpret and will likely continue to elude proper interpretation, but the
521 Gais (1978, 356) states that the man-headed bull derives from an Oriental prototype. This iconography may have
reached Etruria through Greeks living in South Italy.
522
523 Oleson 1975, 195.
106