In a frieze in the fifth-century B.C. Tomb of the Leopards in Tarquinia, Italy, an Etruscan couple admires an egg, symbol of immortality.
The Etruscans have long been the magical mystery people of Italian antiquity. They rose from the mist of prehistory around 900 B.C. and for some 500 years dominated most of the country, from Rome to the Po Valley. Yet, unlike the Romans, they left behind a sparse written record—no heroic poems, no histories, no literature, only short official or religious inscriptions. Etruscan art survived largely because it was buried in tombs.
—Text adapted from "The Eternal Etruscans," National Geographic magazine, June 1988
Photograph by O. Louis Mazzatenta
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOWNLOADING WALLPAPER
For Windows 95 or Higher
Determine which size is appropriate for your monitor.
Click the size you wish to download. (See the top of this page.)
After the image appears in your browser, click the right-hand button on your mouse.
On the menu that pops up, select SET AS WALLPAPER or SET AS BACKGROUND.
For Mac OS X
Determine which image size is appropriate for your monitor.
Click the size you wish to download. (See the top of this page.)
After it appears in your browser, drag the image onto your desktop.
From the Apple menu select SYSTEM PREFERENCES.
Select DESKTOP.
In the pull-down menu marked "Collection," select CHOOSE FOLDER.
Locate desired image file and double-click it.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DELETING WALLPAPER
For Windows Users (Internet Explorer)
From your desktop, click the "My Computer" icon.
Once the window opens, click the following folders, in this order: Local Disk (usually C: drive)
• Documents and Settings
• Your Username
• Application Data
• Microsoft
• Internet Explorer
In the "Internet Explorer" folder, you will find a file called "Internet Explorer Wallpaper.bmp."
To delete this file, click the file name with your mouse, then right-click and scroll down the menu to the "delete" option. Or simply hit the "delete" key on your keyboard.
The wallpaper image will remain until the computer is restarted. To delete from view without restarting the computer, right-click anywhere on an open area of the desktop, scroll down and select "Properties." (This will open the "Display Properties" window.) Click on the "Desktop" tab, select a different background and click "OK." This will change your desktop background immediately.
For Mac OS X
Locate the "Applications" folder in the Macintosh hard drive and choose "System Preferences."
Select "Desktop & Screen Saver." This will show you what wallpaper is currently displayed on your desktop.
To change the current photo, select a new photo from the drop-down menu.
To remove the photo permanently from the desktop, locate the photo on the hard drive and drag it to the trash. This will delete the image.
800 x 600 pixels—best for smaller monitors
1024 x 768 pixels—best for larger monitors
