Download The Etruscans were a sixth to third century BCE

The Etruscans were a sixth to third century BCE Mediterranean
civilization from whom the Romans derived a great deal of cultural
influence.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES [ edit ]
Describe key aspects of Etruscan culture, government, and religion
Explain the relationship between the Etruscan and Roman civilizations
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
The prevailing view is that Rome was founded by Italics who later merged with Etruscans. Rome
was likely a small settlement until the arrival of the Etruscans, who then established its initial
urban infrastructure.
The Etruscans were indigenous to Mediterranean area, probably stemming from the Villanovan
culture or from the Near East.
The mining and commerce of metal, especially copper and iron, led to an enrichment of the
Etruscans and to the expansion of their influence in the Italian peninsula and the western
Mediterranean sea. Conflicts with the Greeks led the Etruscans to ally themselves with the
Carthaginians.
In the 5th century BCE, the Etruscans were severely weakened by military defeats and Roman
annexation. Etruria was conquered by Rome in the 3rd century BCE.
The historical Etruscans had achieved a state system of society, with remnants of the chiefdom
and tribal forms, and the Etruscan state government was essentially a theocracy.
TERMS [ edit ]
Etruscan
the modern name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to
Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Latium.
theocracy
a form of government in which a deity is officially recognized as the civil ruler and official policy is
governed by officials regarded as divinely guided, or is pursuant to the doctrine of a particular
religion or religious group.
oligarchic
A form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These
people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, or military
control. Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who typically pass their
influence from one generation to the next, but inheritance is not a necessary condition for the
application of this term. Throughout history, oligarchies have often been tyrannical (relying on
public obedience and/or oppression to exist) though others have been seen as relatively benign.
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Those who subscribe to an Italic (diverse group of people who inhabited pre­Roman Italy)
foundation of Rome followed by an Etruscan invasion typically speak of an Etruscan
"influence" on Roman culture; that is, cultural objects which were adopted by Rome from
neighboring Etruria. The prevailing view is that Rome was founded by Italics who later
merged with Etruscans. In that case, Etruscan cultural objects are not a heritage but are,
instead, influences. Rome was likely a small settlement until the arrival of the Etruscans,
who then established its initial urban infrastructure.
Origins and Conquest by Rome
The origins of the Etruscans are mostly lost in prehistory. Historians have no literature, no
original texts of religion or philosophy; therefore, much of what is known about this
civilization is derived from grave goods and tomb findings. The main hypotheses state that
the Etruscans were indigenous, probably stemming from the Villanovan culture or from the
Near East. Etruscan expansion was focused both to the north beyond the Apennines and into
Campania. The mining and commerce of metal, especially copper and iron, led to an
enrichment of the Etruscans and to the expansion of their influence in the Italian peninsula
and the western Mediterranean sea. Here, their interests collided with those of the Greeks,
especially in the 6th century BCE, when Phoceans of Italy founded colonies along the coast of
Sardinia, Spain and Corsica. This led the Etruscans to ally themselves with the
Carthaginians, whose interests also collided with the Greeks.
Map of the Etruscan Civilization
Extent of Etruscan civilization and the twelve Etruscan League cities.
Around 540 BCE, the Battle of Alalia led to a new distribution of power in the western
Mediterranean Sea. Though the battle had no clear winner, Carthage managed to expand its
sphere of influence at the expense of the Greeks, and Etruria saw itself relegated to the
northern Tyrrhenian Sea with full ownership of Corsica. From the first half of the 5th century
BCE, the new international political situation meant the beginning of the Etruscan decline
after losing their southern provinces. In 480 BCE, Etruria's ally Carthage was defeated by a
coalition of Magna Graecia cities led by Syracuse. A few years later, in 474, Syracuse's tyrant
Hiero defeated the Etruscans at the Battle of Cumae. Etruria's influence over the cities of
Latium and Campania weakened, and it was taken over by Romans and Samnites. In the 4th
century, Etruria saw a Gallic invasion end its influence over the Po valley and the Adriatic
coast. Meanwhile, Rome had started annexing Etruscan cities. These events led to the loss of
the Northern Etruscan provinces. Etruria was conquered by Rome in the 3rd century BCE.
Etruscan Government
The historical Etruscans had achieved a state system of society, with ONLY remnants of the
chiefdom and tribal forms. In this they were different from the surrounding Italics, who had
chiefs and tribes, without a state system. Rome was in a sense the first Italic state, but it
began as an Etruscan one. It is believed that the Etruscan government style changed from
total monarchy to oligarchic republic (as the Roman Republic did) in the 6th century BCE,
although it is important to note this did not happen to all the city states.The Etruscan state
government was essentially a theocracy. The government was viewed as being a central
authority, over all tribal and clan organizations. It retained the power of life and death; in
fact, the gorgon, an ancient symbol of that power, appears as a motif in Etruscan decoration.
The adherents to this state power were united by a common religion. Political unity in
Etruscan society was thecity­state, which was probably the referent of methlum, "district".
Etruscan texts name quite a number of magistrates, without much of a hint as to their
function: the camthi, the parnich, the purth, the tamera, the macstrev, and so on.
Etruscan Religion
The Etruscan system of belief was an immanent polytheism; that is, all visible phenomena
were considered to be a manifestation of divine power and that power was subdivided into
deities that acted continually on the world of man and could be dissuaded or persuaded in
favor of human affairs. Three layers of deities are evident in the extensive Etruscan art
motifs. One appears to be divinities of an indigenous nature: Catha and Usil, the sun; Tivr,
the moon; Selvans, a civil god; Turan, the goddess of love; Laran, the god of war; Leinth, the
goddess of death; Maris; Thalna; Turms; and the ever­popular Fufluns, whose name is
related in some unknown way to the city of Populonia and the populus Romanus, the Roman
people.Ruling over this pantheon of lesser deities were higher ones that seem to reflect the
Indo­European system: Tin or Tinia, the sky, Uni his wife (Juno), and Cel, the earth goddess.
In addition the Greek gods were taken into the Etruscan system: Aritimi (Artemis), Menrva
(Minerva), Pacha (Bacchus). The Greek heroes taken fromHomer also appear extensively in
art motifs.
The Greek polytheistic approach was similar to the Etruscan religious and cultural base. As
the Romans emerged from the legacy created by both of these groups, it shared in a belief
system of many gods and deities.