Ancient History/Rome/Etruscans

Origins The Etruscans' origins have always been a highly debated topic. Many theories include that they migrated to the Italian peninsula from the East, or that they were the descendants of the ancient inhabitants there. Findings about their origins have been inconclusive. Notably, however, there was a group referred to by the Greeks as the Tyrsenoi (an Ancient Greek name for the Etruscans) as far back as the 8th century C.E.Richardson Emeline The Etruscans, their art and civilization 1976 University of Chicago Press 978-0-226-71234-5 Reprinted with corrections A Phoenix book ; P670 Chicago It is agreed, however, that Etruscan cities predated Roman and Greek cities on the Italian peninsula by a fairly significant margin. One way this is shown is by the general trend of Etruscan cities to be drawn a few miles away from the shorelines they were built over, usually on an elevated, defensible position, in contrast to the later Greek colonies which were built right on top of their respective shorelines. This is reflective of a general trend of piracy in the Mediterranean centuries before the founding of the city of Rome, which had waned by the time of the establishment of the colonies of Magna Graecia. The Etruscan cities of Tarquinii and Cerveteri are among the most influential cities, and likely among the first to be founded. Etruscan Political Systems Etruscan Economy Etruscan Religion and Philosophy Etruscan Daily Life Etruscan Rule in Rome