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Etruscan civilisation flourished from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BC, and covered much of the area that is now modern Tuscany. Because of the almost total lack of ancient Greek art from this era, Etruscan wall paintings are the most important examples of pre-Roman painting in the West. "Abundance of Life" traces the stylistic and iconographic evolution of Etruscan wall paintings over their five hundred year history. The earliest paintings were of colourful banquets, hunts and athletic games, but these gave way to scenes of a darker colour and nature as the civilisation declined. In addition, this volume also examines what the paintings reveal about the daily life, politics, and religion of this ancient society.