TheMonteleone chariot is anEtruscanchariot dated to c. 530 BC, considered one of the world's great archaeological finds. It was uncovered in 1902 inMonteleone di Spoleto,Umbria,Italy, in an underground tomb covered by a mound, and is currently a major attraction in the collection of theMetropolitan Museum of Art inNew York City.^[1]

Though about 300 ancient chariots are known to still exist, only six are reasonably complete, and the Monteleone chariot is the best-preserved^[2] and most complete^[3][4] of all known surviving examples. Carlos Picón, curator of the museum'sGreek and Roman department, has called it "the grandest piece of sixth-century Etruscanbronze anywhere in the world".^[5]

The Monteleone chariot was part of achariot burial, containing the remains of two human corpses, along with two drinking cups. Measuring 131 cm (51+5⁄8 in) in height and designed to be drawn by two horses, the chariot itself is constructed of wood covered with hammered bronze plates and carvedivory decoration. It is thought to be a "parade chariot" rather than one used in warfare.^[1]

The bronze plates are decorated withHomericiconography inrelief; the main panel depictsAchilles being handed his replacement armor by his mother,Thetis, after his first set had been fatally lent toPatroklos. Below the helmet is a shield decorated with aGorgon's head. The left side panel shows two warriors in combat, thought to be Achilles and theTrojan allyMemnon. The right panel shows theapotheosis of Achilles, as he ascends in a chariot pulled by winged horses. The chariot's shaft emerges from the mouth of aboar; the dead deer below the shield may be meant to be shown carried by the boar. Rows of smaller scenes run along the base of the chariot platform. These are thought to show "Achilles as a youth in the care of thecentaurChiron and Achilles as a lion felling his foes, in this case, a stag and a bull". Two nude male figures flank the central scene.^[1]

The chariot's frame and plating are additionally adorned withanimals andlegendary creatures rendered in detail. The chariot's decorations would also have included inlaidamber and other exotic materials, but only the bronze and ivory decorations have survived. The chariot's wheels have ninespokes (rather than the classical Greek four, theEgyptian six, or theAssyrian andPersian eight; excavated chariots fromCeltic burials have up to twelve spokes).^[1]Curators at the Museum had long suspected that the chariot's original 1903 reconstruction was not historically accurate. In 1989, under the direction of Italian archaeologistAdriana Emiliozzi, the Metropolitan Museum began a five-year reexamination and restoration of the chariot. During the restoration, it was discovered that the chariot had in fact been originally assembled incorrectly; additionally, evidence was uncovered indicating that the chariot, previously thought to have seen little actual use, had in fact been involved in a serious accident at some point during its life.^[6] The newly restored chariot opened to the public on April 20, 2007.

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  Apotheosis of Achilles
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  Combat between Achilles andMemnon
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  Shield, deer, and boar's head
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  Side view of same
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  Combat scene, small scenes below, and nude male
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  Tip of a shaft side piece

It was found in 1902 inMonteleone di Spoleto, nearSpoleto in theregion ofUmbria, by a farmer named Isidoro Vannozzi who inadvertently unearthed it while digging a wine cellar or basement barn. Its history from that time is the subject of controversy. The only surviving substantiated account, related by Vannozzi's son Giuseppe, holds that the chariot was immediately sold as scrap metal, and the proceeds from the sale used to buy roof tiles.^[7] Changing hands several times after its initial sale, the chariot was eventually purchased in Paris byJ. P. Morgan, who sent it to the Metropolitan Museum in 1903, where its first restoration took place.

In January 2005, the commune of Monteleone began a campaign aimed at recovering the chariot from the Met; their efforts, however, did not receive the backing of the Italian government. The Metropolitan Museum has responded that the chariot was "purchased in good faith".^[7] A full-size copy was made in the mid-20th century, which is on display in Monteleone.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMonteleone Chariot.

• Images & description at metmuseum.org
• News report on the controversy at telegraph.co.uk (2005)
• Additional discussion of the legal case for repatriation (2007)

• Etruscan archaeological artefacts
• History of Umbria
• Art and cultural repatriation
• Metalwork in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Archaeological discoveries in Italy
• Chariot burials
• Arms and armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Ancient art in metal
• 6th-century BC artifacts
• 1902 archaeological discoveries

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata