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Etruria

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This article is about the ancient region of Italy. For other uses, seeEtruria (disambiguation).
"Tyrrhenia" redirects here. For other uses, seeTyrrhenia (disambiguation).
"Tyrsenia" redirects here. For other uses, seeTyrsenia (disambiguation).
Map showing Etruria and Etruscan colonies as of 750 BC and as expanded until 500 BC

Etruria(/ɪˈtrʊəriə/ih-TROOR-ee-ə) was a region ofCentral Italydelimited by the riversArnoandTiber,[1]an area that covered what is now most ofTuscany,northernLazio,and north-westernUmbria.It was inhabited by theEtruscans,an ancient civilization that flourished in the area from around the 8th century BC until they were assimilated into theRoman Republicin the 4th century BC.[2]

Etruscan Etruria

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The ancient people of Etruria[3] are identified asEtruscans.Their complexculture[4]centered on numerous city-states that arose during theVillanovanperiod in the ninth century BC, and they were very powerful during theOrientalizingArchaic periods.

The Etruscans were a dominant culture in Italy by 650 BC,[5]surpassing other ancient Italic peoples such as theLigures.Their influence may be seen beyond Etruria's confines in thePo RiverValley andLatium,as well as inCampaniaand through their contact with theGreek coloniesinSouthern Italy(including Sicily). Indeed, at some Etruscan tombs, such as those of theTumulus di Montefortiniat Comeana (seeCarmignano) inTuscany,physical evidence of trade withEgypthas been found by archaeologists—fineEgyptian faiencecups are an example. Such trade occurred either directly with Egypt or through intermediaries such as Greek or Phoenician sailors.

Rome was influenced strongly by the Etruscans even though it was separated from the early boundary of Etruria by theSilva Ciminia,the Ciminian Forest. A series of Etruscan kings ruledRomeuntil 509 BC when the last Etruscan king,Lucius Tarquinius Superbus,was removed from power and theRoman Republicwas established.[6]The Etruscans are credited with influencing Roman architecture and ritual practice; it was under the Etruscan kings that important structures such as theCapitolium,Cloaca Maxima,andVia Sacrawere realized.

TheEtruscan civilizationhad a great influence on the culture of early Republican Rome, some of what later became the most symbolic traditions of the city. It also included the introduction of new foods, theLatin Alpha bet,thearchitecture,andengineeringelements.[7]

Territorial subdivision of Etruria

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Etruria usually is divided into two main territories, called Northern Etruria and Southern Etruria, to which must be added the northernmost territories are called Etruria Padana, and the southernmost territories are called Etruria Campana.

Etruria(proper)
  • Northern Etruria- much of modernTuscany,from theArno riverto the north, theApenninesto the east, and theAlbegna riverto the south of Tuscany; furthermore, the Etruscan territories north to Perugia in modernUmbria
  • Southern Etruria- small portions of the most southern areas of Tuscany, all of northern and centralLazioto the gates ofRome
Etruscan colonies
See also:Etruscan cities § Etruria Padana,andEtruscan cities § Etruria Campana

Cities of Etruria

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Etruscan votive heads found in various sanctuaries throughout Etruria and dating from the fourth century BC through the second century BC
Main article:Etruscan cities

Latin and Italian names are given between parentheses:

There was a period between 600 BC and 500 BC, during which twelve Etruscan city-states formed a loose confederation known as theEtruscan League.Etruscan was the official language for their meetings. When Etruria was conquered by theRoman Republic,Latinbecame the official language.

Roman Etruria

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In theAugustanorganization ofRoman Italy,Etruriawas the name of a region (Regio VII). Its borders were theTiber,theTyrrhenian Sea,theApuan Alps,and theApennines.This is roughly coincident with those of Etruria before the Roman period that began in 509 BC.[8]

Etruria in modern history

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TheGrand Duchy of Tuscany(which existed 1569–1801 and 1814–1859) styled itself inLatinasMagnus Ducatus Etruriae(Grand Duchy of Etruria). The name Etruria also was applied to theKingdom of Etruria,an ephemeralclient stateofNapoleon I of Francethat replaced the Grand Duchy between 1801 and 1807.

A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations isD. H. Lawrence'sSketches of Etruscan Places and Other Italian Essays.

Further reading

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  • Coberly, Daniel(2013).An Ancient and Modern History of Etruria.Italian Heritage Press.ISBN978-0615819112.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Treccani.
  2. ^"Etruschi - Enciclopedia".Treccani(in Italian).Retrieved2024-07-05.
  3. ^Posth, Cosimo; et al. (2021)."The origin and legacy of the Etruscans through a 2000-year archeogenomic time transect".Science Advances.7(39): eabi7673.Bibcode:2021SciA....7.7673P.doi:10.1126/sciadv.abi7673.PMC8462907.PMID34559560.
  4. ^Kindy, David,Where Did the Ancient Etruscans Come From?: A new DNA analysis suggests the Enigma tic civilization was native to the Italian Peninsula,Smithsonian, September 29, 2021
  5. ^Rix, Helmut. "Etruscan." InThe Ancient Languages of Europe,ed. Roger D. Woodard. Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. 141–164.
  6. ^Cary, M.; Scullard, H. H.,A History of Rome.Page 28. 3rd Ed. 1979.ISBN0-312-38395-9.
  7. ^Roma.Com, Redazione (2021-08-04)."L'influenza della civiltà etrusca sugli antichi Romani".Roma.Com(in Italian).Retrieved2023-04-26.
  8. ^Baracca, M. (1970).Atlante Storico(in Latin). Novara: De Agostini. p. 15.

Bibliography

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Look upetruriain Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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