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==Etruscan Kings and the development of Rome==
The Etruscan kings were great builders and they transformed Rome from a rude settlement of huts and simple dwellings into a true city. The monarch probably introduced Etruscans builders and architects into the city. The Etruscans were great engineers and they were outstanding builders. Apparently, the Romans learned much from the Etruscans and the famed Roman expertise in urban planning and engineering originated with their northern neighbors during the monarchy of the Tarquinii<ref> Franklin-Hall, p. 194</ref>. The Roman architectural style in the Roman Republic was heavily influenced by the Etruscans. The Tarquinii monarchs build a series of sewers in Rome and this made the city more hygienic and allowed the city to grow and prosper. The kings also drained many of the marshes that surrounded the city over several years and this allowed more land to be cultivated to feed the growing population of Rome. Many of the most distinctive buildings and public works can be traced to the Etruscan period. The city greatly expanded and this meant that new walls had to be built to protect the population. The Tarquins built the Servian Walls and they also fortified some of the other hills around the city. They eventually build a single fortification that enclosed the entire city, these were the Servian Walls<ref> Lorenzi, Rossella. "Unraveling the Etruscan Enigma." Archaeology 63, no. 6 (2010): 36-43</ref>. These walls were so well built that they protected the city for several hundred years. The Etruscans also built many well-known Temples such as the temple of Jupiter. It seemed that they also introduced the vault and the arch into Roman architecture. They are also widely credited with building the first Forum, Rome’s main public space.
==The Etruscans and the Greeks==
The Etruscans had long had contacts with the Greeks and their alphabet was based on their alphabet. The city-states of Etruria had long been under the cultural influence of the Greeks <ref>Ullman, B. L. "The Etruscan Origin of the Roman Alphabet and the Names of the Letters." Classical Philology 22, no. 4 (1927): 372-77<ref>. The Tarquin kings the Etruscans exposed the Romans to Greek culture. Many Roman nobles would send their sons to schools in Etruscan cities and here they learned Greek and read its literature and philosophy<ref>Livy. 5. 14</ref>. Greek thought and literature enriched Roman culture. The Romans adopted the Greek alphabet and used it for their own language, Latin. Much of Roman literature was based on Greek forms and genres and Roman political thought and philosophy originated in Greek ideas. By the second century BCE many the male elite could speak Greek and many were educated in Athens<ref> Franaklin-Hall, p. 115</ref>.
