Etruscan Askos. 6th century BC. In black bucchero. Measures: 14 x 10 x 9 cm. Etruscan odre realized in a type of black pottery, the bucchero, specific of the Etruscan civilization. Known since the 7th century B.C. Its firing method (in kilns between 900 °C and 1050 °C) turns the pottery black and makes it shine like metal. The askos is a terracotta or earthenware vase whose body often assumed the shape of an animal. The Etruscan culture was already surrounded by an aura of mystery in antiquity; even their Greek contemporaries were intrigued by the sudden emergence of this people as a maritime and commercial power, by this ancient people who, according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, "resemble no other in their language and customs". While there are those who consider them as the people that gave rise to the Roman Empire, there are other experts who give more relevance to the differences that exist between the two peoples and consider them mere neighbors or "conqueror and conquered", depending on the time in which one speaks, recognizing a strong influence of some elements of Etruscan culture and art observed on the Romans. Dimensions 14 x 10 x 9 cm.