Massimo Pallottino
Encyclopedia
Massimo Pallottino was an Italian archaeologist specializing in Etruscan
civilization and art.
Pallottino was a student of Giulio Quirino Giglioli and worked early in his career on the Temple of Apollo
at Veii
. In essence Pallottino created the modern discipline of Etruscology and trained many of its leading practitioners. He published a massive corpus of material during his career and established a research center in Rome, today known as C.N.R. per l'Archeologia etrusco-italica. He was also influential in establishing the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi e Italici and its journal, Studi Etruschi. His own work covered Etruscan art and culture, civilization, and language. One of his most influential works was the handbook Etruscologia originally published in 1942 in Milan, but today available in numerous languages and still consulted by scholars and students alike. Pallottino was a member of the faculty of the Università di Roma, "La Sapienza".
In 1937, Pallottino wrote an article debunking the so-called "Etruscan Warrior" purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (by John Marshall under the direction of Gisela M. A. Richter, as a forgery
. Richter remained unconvinced, but Pallottino was ultimately proven correct by the scholar Harold Parsons in 1961. Pallottino pointed out the Greek Hellenized world that Etruscan art emerged from. He wrote the volume on Etruscan Painting (1952) for Albert Skira's series on Great Centuries of Painting. In 1971 his Civiltà artistica etrusco-italica summarized the previous two generations of work in Italian archaeology.
He won the Balzan Prize
in 1982 for Sciences of Antiquity "For his research work and discoveries of outstanding importance carried out in the field of the sciences of antiquity through the excavation of Pyrgi, his contribution to the interpretation of the Etruscan language and his revealing research on the origins of ancient Rome and the peoples of pre-Roman Italy" (motivation of the Balzan General Prize Committee).
In 1997 Pallottino's memory and career were honored with the publication of a two-volume set, Etrusca et Italica: Scritti in ricordo di Massimo Pallottino. Among his students was Giovanni Colonna
, one of the leading figures in current Etruscology.
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
civilization and art.
Pallottino was a student of Giulio Quirino Giglioli and worked early in his career on the Temple of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
at Veii
Veii
Veii was, in ancient times, an important Etrurian city NNW of Rome, Italy; its site lies in Isola Farnese, a village of Municipio XX, an administrative subdivision of the comune of Rome in the Province of Rome...
. In essence Pallottino created the modern discipline of Etruscology and trained many of its leading practitioners. He published a massive corpus of material during his career and established a research center in Rome, today known as C.N.R. per l'Archeologia etrusco-italica. He was also influential in establishing the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi e Italici and its journal, Studi Etruschi. His own work covered Etruscan art and culture, civilization, and language. One of his most influential works was the handbook Etruscologia originally published in 1942 in Milan, but today available in numerous languages and still consulted by scholars and students alike. Pallottino was a member of the faculty of the Università di Roma, "La Sapienza".
In 1937, Pallottino wrote an article debunking the so-called "Etruscan Warrior" purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (by John Marshall under the direction of Gisela M. A. Richter, as a forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
. Richter remained unconvinced, but Pallottino was ultimately proven correct by the scholar Harold Parsons in 1961. Pallottino pointed out the Greek Hellenized world that Etruscan art emerged from. He wrote the volume on Etruscan Painting (1952) for Albert Skira's series on Great Centuries of Painting. In 1971 his Civiltà artistica etrusco-italica summarized the previous two generations of work in Italian archaeology.
He won the Balzan Prize
Balzan Prize
The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organisations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the brotherhood of man.-Rewards and assets:Each year the...
in 1982 for Sciences of Antiquity "For his research work and discoveries of outstanding importance carried out in the field of the sciences of antiquity through the excavation of Pyrgi, his contribution to the interpretation of the Etruscan language and his revealing research on the origins of ancient Rome and the peoples of pre-Roman Italy" (motivation of the Balzan General Prize Committee).
In 1997 Pallottino's memory and career were honored with the publication of a two-volume set, Etrusca et Italica: Scritti in ricordo di Massimo Pallottino. Among his students was Giovanni Colonna
Giovanni Colonna
Giovanni Colonna is a contemporary Italian scholar of ancient Italy and, in particular, the Etruscan civilization.Colonna is a professor at the Sapienza University of Rome where he has taught since 1980. He took his first degree at Rome in 1957, studying under Massimo Pallottino...
, one of the leading figures in current Etruscology.