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Admin moved page How did the Etruscans shape Roman history and society? to How did the Etruscans shape Roman history and society
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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.
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." <i>Archaeology 63</i>, 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 What was the relationship between 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." <i>Classical Philology</i> 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> FranaklinFranklin-Hall, p. 115</ref>
== How did Etruscan religion influence Roman Religion? ==
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.
===References===
