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==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>.
== Etruscan influence on Roman Religion==
Little is known about the nature of Etruscan religion but many writers have declared it to be ‘gloomy’. It seems that the exact influence of Etruscan religion and myths on Rome will never be known. It seems that the Romans did adopt some Etruscan deities and demons. These demons were eventually transmitted to the Christians <ref> Bonfante, Larissa. "An Etruscan Demon in Pompeii." In KOINE: Mediterranean Studies in Honor of R. Ross Holloway, edited by Counts Derek B. and Tuck Anthony S., 96-99. (Oxford; Oakville: Oxbow Books, 2009), p. 97</ref>. The Etuscans were renowned for their oracles and prophecies. One of the Tarquin kings purchased the Syballine books, that became the prophetic literature of Rome from an Etruscan temple. Oracles played a very important part in the religion of Rome<ref>"Gods in Harmony: The Etruscan Pantheon." In The Religion of the Etruscans, edited by Simon Erika, De Grummond Nancy Thomson, and Simon Erika, (University of Texas Press, 2006), p. 45</ref>. Many of these oracles were of Etruscan origin and these were known as the Haruspices. This was the art of interpreting the will of the Gods. Soothsayers form Etruria were very much in demand and seemed to have passed on their skills to the local Roman priests. The Etruscan soothsayers could allegedly understand the will of the Gods by observing phenomenon such as lightning. Another Etruscan method for understanding the wishes of the Gods was the examination of the internal organs of sacrificed animals. One of the more curious Etruscan traditions was the observing of the way some sacred chickens ate their food to understand the divine will. Even after the Etruscan kings were expelled the Romans still respected the oracles of the Etruscans. The Roman Senate ordained that the Etruscan oracles and ceremonies be maintained in perpetuity by the state and they were practiced by Roman priests until the Christian era<ref> Franklin-Hall, p. 119</ref>.
