Archaeologists at Italy’s Palazzone Necropolis in Perugia have uncovered a 2,300-year-old Etruscan urn featuring intricate Medusa carvings, floral motifs, and cursive inscriptions.

Unlike typical burials, the urn contained three intact terracotta vessels—a cup and two jugs—suggesting it was used in a symbolic burial or cenotaph rather than holding human remains.

Experts note that the Medusa imagery was likely ritualistic, meant to accompany the deceased into eternity, Men’s Journal has reported.

The find sheds new light on Etruscan funerary practices during the Hellenistic period, highlighting their complex and still-surprising rituals.