Etruscan civilization

Quick Facts: Who was Etruscan civilization?

Subject:

Etruscan civilization

Known for:

Pre-Roman civilization of Etruria, flourishing in ancient Italy from the 9th to the 1st century BC.

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Origins & Early Life

The Etruscans ( ih-TRUSK-ən) created a civilization in Etruria, in ancient Italy, with a common language and culture, and formed a federation of city-states. After adjacent lands had been conquered, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roughly what is now Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio, as well as what are now the Po Valley, Emilia-Romagna, south-eastern Lombardy, southern Veneto and western Campania. A large body of literature has flourished on the origins of the Etruscans, and the consensus among modern scholars is that the Etruscans were an indigenous population. The earliest evidence of a culture that is identifiably Etruscan dates from about 900 BC. This is the period of the Iron Age Villanovan culture, considered to be the earliest phase of Etruscan civilization, which itself developed from the previous late Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture in the same region, part of the central European Urnfield culture system.

Career & Major Achievements

The territorial extent of Etruscan civilization reached its maximum around 500 BC, shortly after the Roman Kingdom became the Roman Republic. Beginning in the late 4th century BC, it succumbed to the expanding Rome during the Roman–Etruscan Wars; Etruscans were granted Roman citizenship in 90 BC, and by 27 BC the whole Etruscan territory was incorporated into the newly established Roman Empire. Its culture flourished in three confederacies of cities: Etruria (Tuscany, Latium and Umbria); the Po Valley, including the eastern Alps; and Campania. The league in northern Italy is mentioned by Livy in his Ab Urbe Condita. In the Etruscan political system, authority resided with individual cities and likely with individual families.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

At the height of Etruscan power, elite Etruscan families grew very rich through trade with the Celts to the north and the Greeks to the south, and they filled their large family tombs with imported luxuries. The earliest known examples of Etruscan writing are inscriptions found in southern Etruria that date to around 700 BC. The Etruscans developed a system of writing derived from the Euboean alphabet, which was used in the Magna Graecia coastal areas in Southern Italy. The Etruscan language remains only partly understood, making modern understanding of their society and culture heavily dependent on much later and generally disapproving Roman and Greek sources. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the Etruscans called themselves Rasenna (Greek Ῥασέννα), a stem from the Etruscan Rasna (𐌛𐌀𐌔𐌍𐌀): "the people".

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Etruscan civilization

True or False: “The earliest identifiable culture associated with the Etruscans dates back to around 900 BC, coinciding with the Iron Age Villanovan culture.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): This early phase is considered the foundational period for what would become recognized as Etruscan civilization.

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