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An antefix is a terracotta object placed along a house gutter to hold a row of tiles above it. This one is decorated with the head of a young man. It is in mint condition. It had been buried for nearly three thousand years and still bears traces of the soil. It tells me that the Etruscans spent a lot of effort decorating their houses, and had a deep appreciation of civic beauty. It was evidently made, as one of many, on a very early production line. This would have given a pleasing effect of uniformity along the house gutter. Since this was a cheap method of production, it tells us that economics was an important consideration even in those days.