Fragmentary Antefix

A horned male head, probably representing Acheloos, decorates this broken antefix or architectural decoration. Acheloos was a Greek river god whose worship was adopted by the Etruscans. He took many forms, one of which was a bull-headed man. An artisan added bright paint to the molded terracotta head to emphasize the antefix's effect and visibility. The roof tiles running along the eaves of ancient Greek and Etruscan buildings often ended in upright members called antefixes. These mold-made terracottas often took the form of heads, either of humans or mythological creatures. As well as being decorative, architectural terracottas served to cover and protect exposed wooden parts of the architecture from the elements.