By Noma Faingold

As far as ancient history, the Romans and the Greeks seem to get all the attention culturally, with respect to architecture, artifacts, precious jewels, inventions, the alphabet, religious ritual and even the Gods.

Until now.

The new exhibition at the Legion of Honor Museum, “The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy,” which opened May 2 and continues through Sept. 20, seeks to enlighten curious visitors on the innovative and artistic contributions of the largely overlooked Etruscans, an indigenous society with a one-off language, who thrived in the central Italy peninsula from the ninth century to the first century B.C., in the period preceding the Roman Empire.

The exhibition presents a little-known civilization and offers a bold, new understanding of the life, beliefs and culture in the Etruscan era through bronze and terracotta vessels and sculptures, intricate gold jewelry and other treasures.

“We show why they are important and how they influence Western culture today,” organizer Renée Dreyfus said.

For Dreyfus, curator in charge of ancient art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), mounting the first major U.S. exhibition on the Etruscans in two decades became her mission in the last 10 years. In fact, she first thought about showcasing the legacy of the Etruscans in the mid-1990s.

“They’ve been overshadowed by the Greeks and the Romans,” Dreyfus said. “I really needed to do this exhibition to bring them to center stage. Many of these works have never been seen in the United States before.”

Dreyfus, who has been with FAMSF for nearly 50 years and has curated more than 20 exhibitions, including two of King Tutankhamun 30 years apart, gathered objects from institutions from all over the world, including several from the Vatican in Rome, the Louvre Museum in Paris and 20 pieces from the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giuila (the main Etruscan museum) in Rome.

“These are all masterpieces,” she said. “It brings me to tears.”

The exhibit begins with a short film, produced in-house, to provide an overview of the Etruscans. The galleries unfold both chronologically and thematically. There’s a section focusing on the rather progressive standing women had in the culture, unlike how women were marginalized in the Roman Empire or in Greece.

“The Etruscans respected women. Women could own property and inherit property from their family. They had far more freedom than the other cultures at that time,” Dreyfus said. “They were not quite equal to men. But a woman could own a business, if it was in their home, like weaving. When it comes to the rituals and traditions, the women could participate.”

“The Etruscans” displays an array of objects, such as bronze and terracotta vessels and sculptures, sophisticated gold jewelry and other treasures reflecting traditions of the Etruscans in craft, trade and ritual. Archaeologists are still uncovering elegant pieces found in tombs, temples, sanctuaries and homes. Dreyfus is proud to include a recent acquisition in the show, a bucchero (black pottery with a glossy finish) amphora (vase) with four strap handles in terracotta.

She purchased the work for the permanent collection, which was created sometime between 625-550 B.C. It features drawings of “hybrid animals” marching around its center. Officially, it was gift to George and Judy Marcus, who sponsored Dreyfus’s endowed position at FAMSF.

What also sets the Etruscans apart is the craftsmanship of the jewelry and bronze work.

“There’s gold jewelry in the exhibition that shows the amazing granulation technique of the Etruscans,” Dreyfus said. “They didn’t invent granulations, but they did do it finer than anyone else in the ancient world. We have drop-dead gorgeous objects from the tombs of the elites.”

Many of the tombs, which are located outside of Rome, resembled family homes of the wealthy, containing furniture (such as thrones), colorful frescos on the walls, artisan figurines, vessels and God-like sculptures. The tombs were meant to help the deceased reach the afterlife successfully, taking all their riches with them.

“The Etruscans” exhibition concludes with a narrative of the way the Etruscan civilization overlapped with the Romans, how they influenced each other and the way the Etruscans assimilated into the Roman Empire.

“The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy” exhibition, runs from May 2-Sept. 20 at the Legion of Honor Museum, 100 34th Ave. For more information visit famsf.org.