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[[File: 600px-0 Mars de Todi - Museo Gregoriano Etruscano (1).jpg |200px|thumbthumbnail|left|A statue of an Etruscan nobleman or deity]]
The Etruscan civilization was an early civilization (900 BCE-100 BCE) that inhabited Italy from Tuscany to Rome. It is little known and was largely forgotten until archaeological discoveries once revealed its power, complexity, and sophistication. The Etruscans had a unique civilization and culture.
== Who were the Etruscans? ==
[[File: Arte etrusca, pannelli d'argento con rilievi, da castel san mariano presso perugia, 540-520 ac. 02.jpg |250px|thumbthumbnail|left|Etruscan horseman]]
The Etruscans resided in ancient Italy in modern Tuscany and northern Lazio. They flourished in this area from 1000 BCE to 100 BCE.<ref> Torelli, Mario, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0847823911/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0847823911&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f036aff47bdc1f54abe5074e5b2c979f The Etruscans]</i>. (Rome Rizzoli International Publications, 1997), p. 5</ref> They had a unique language and culture. Etruscan society appears to have been one where a warrior aristocracy ruled a large rural population. This changed over time as the Etruscans became more sophisticated and rich and oligarchies dominated Etruria. The wealth of the Etruscan people was based on their rich natural resources. Etruria was rich in copper and gold and the landscape was dotted with mines.
== What role did the Etruscans play in the growth of Rome? ==
[[File: Charun dead souls Cdm Paris 2783.jpg |200px|thumbthumbnail|left|A scene from Etruscan mythology]]
Sometime around 650 BCE, the Etruscans seized control of Rome, then little more than a poor settlement of shepherds and small farmers. The site of Rome made it very attractive to the Etruscans as it was situated on a series of hills that were very easy to defend and it was located near an important ford in the Tiber. There was also some salt works nearby and this was an important economic asset in the ancient world. The Etruscans apparently seized complete control of the city, however, it is impossible to be sure what is a myth and what is history in this era. The Etruscans kings who ruled the city were the Tarquinii.
The era of the Etruscan monarchs is often portrayed as a period of tyranny yet these kings expanded the city and its territory and made it the leading power in central Italy. It is arguable that the Etruscans paved the way for the Romans to become a power in Italy and in the Mediterranean.
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