Editors’ Page: A Virtual Cornucopia

Sempre avanti! as the Italians say. Never look back! Archaeology Odyssey is now in the middle of its seventh year, and we are looking ahead (paradoxically by looking back into deep antiquity) to a series of exciting issues—beginning with the one you hold in your hands.

There’s something inspiring about art historian Ingrid Rowland’s meditation on Etruscan women (“Etruscan Women: Dignified, Charming, Literate and Free”). In a legacy of images, some sculpted in stone and some painted on the walls of tombs, our ancient female ancestors dine with men, read from folding wax tablets (ancient books) and participate in athletic events—all done vigorously and gracefully, without apology. It seems that more than 2,000 years ago Etruscan women enjoyed a freedom of movement and thought denied to many women even today.