Much of what we known about the Etruscans comes from their burial customs. The Etruscans buried their dead in tombs hollowed out of the ground or under great mounds or earth called tumuli. Usually, the interiors of these tombs were made to resemble the houses of the living. The life of the Etruscans is reflected in the relief sculptures cut into the rock walls of the chambers and in the frescoes showing banquets, gladiatorial combat, chariot races, and other everyday activities.
The Etruscans were probably native to Italy and descended from earlier peoples. They were skilled artisans and accomplished traders. Only two other civilizations were competing in the Mediterranean world at the height of the Etruscan culture: the Greek city-states, especially the colonies of Sicily and Magna Craecia (southern Italy from Taranto up the west coast as far as Naples), and the Carthaginians in Tunisia (north Africa). Various complex arrangements kept Greek traders dominant in the south, while in the north, the Etruscan and Carthaginian fleets cooperated to their mutual advantage.
The Etruscan Monarchy: Kings of Rome, 753-509 BCE
According to the history Livy (Titus Livius, 59 BCE-12 CE), there were seven kings of Rome. The first was Romulus (753-715 BCE), who was allegedly the son of Mas, the god of war, and a priestess named Rhea Silvia. The founding myth tells us that the death of Romulus and his twin brother Remus was ordered by their cruel uncle Amulius, who wanted them thrown into the Tiber River. Thanks to some kind servants, the basket containing the twins eventually came to shore near an area known as the Palatine, later recognized as one of the Seven Hills of Rome, and future residence of the emperors (Palatine comes from the word for palace). There, the twin boys were nurtured by a female wolf (or she-wolf) until they were discovered and raised by a shepherd. Various versions of this myth relate that once the boys attained manhood there was a bitter dispute between them over who had the authority to found the city. Romulus was favoured to be the founder and when Remus challenged Romulus, Remus was killed. So Rome, a city destined for greatness, had its origins in bloodshed.
In time, the Etruscans expanded their power southward and took control over the Romans. The first Eturscan king of Rome was L. Tarquinius Priscus (616-579 BCE), who cleared the site for the great temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Jupiter Best and Greatest) on another of Rome's seven hills, the Capitoline. In later years, one of the features of civilized living in any Roman town was the central focus provided by its capitolium, the temple dedicated to Jupiter, the Father of the Golds. Tarquinius Priscus is also reputed to have built the cloaca maxima (great sewer), whose outflow into the Tiber can still be seen today draining the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. The second Etruscan king was Servius Tullius (579-534 BCE), said to have continued the program of urban renewal begun by his predecessor.
The last Etruscan king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled by a popular rebellion in 509 BCE. In fact, the rebellion had been sparked because the king's son Sextus raped a virtuous aristocratic woman named Lucretia, who subsequently committed suicide. Wit the removal of the last king, the way was clear for Rome to form a democratic republic. The Etruscans, on the other hand, could not resist the pressure of the increasingly dominant Romans. Eventually, after the Romans capture of Veii in 396 BCE, the military power of the Etruscans collapsed. Those who lived near the city of Rome were absorbed into the new Republic, while those resident in cities a little further away saw their influence (if not their personal status) greatly diminish.
Writing: ECHOES from the past published by McGraw-Hill Ryderson Ltd.
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