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Archaic Seated Figures Frieze Plaque
At the dig site of the Archaic Building on the plateau of Piano del Tesoro, a terracotta frieze plaque was found depicting figures seated one in front of another. This frieze plaque, along with the other found at this site, are dated to 600 BCE-535 BCE. The plaque measures about 0.239 meters in height, 0.543 meters in width, and has a thickness of about 0.025 meters. Like many frieze plaques dated to the Archaic period of Etruscan society, the plaque depicting the seated figures is made of terracotta; more specifically the clay is classified as coarse. Oftentimes, these decorative plaques depicted the figures of gods or people worshipping gods.

Assembly Scene
The scene depicted on this particular frieze plaque is viewed as a scene of an assembly. Archaeologists and researchers can definitively classify this scene as an assembly based on the furniture the figures are seated on. The third figure from the right is sitting on a cylindrical throne, which is a distinction of status from the 7th century BCE. Along with this unique throne style, the remainder of the seated figures are seated on folding stools with four double-curved animal legs. These stools are staples of assembly scenes involving both gods and mortals. Based on these details and depiction of figures, an interpretation has been made that the plaque contains representations of the gods Zeus, Hera, and Athena. These three gods are commonly depicted together in various pieces from this same time period. Anthony Tuck, an archaeologist from the University of Massachusetts who excavates the site, has argued that the assembly scene depicts a hieros gamos. Although figures on frieze plaques such as this one often portray deities, it is important to note that there has been no concrete evidence suggesting that this particular assembly scene is an ancient Etruscan or Italian mythological representation.