Buried Cities And Lost Tribes: Old World

Mesa Community College

The Etruscans

ASB222: Buried Cities and Lost Tribes: Old World
Colleen Strawhacker, M.A.
December 6, 2012

The inhabitants of the stone and bronze ages of Northern Italy, the region known as modern day Tuscany, eventually developed into the people that are known by others as the Etruscans (Nardo pg.8). The ancient Greeks had other names for them, including the Tyrsenoi or Tyrrhenoi and the Romans moniker for the Etruscans was the Tusci or Etrusci, but the Etruscans called themselves the Rasna or Rasenna. (Barker and Rasmussen pg. 85) If this confusion over a simple name seems odd, it is only the beginning of the mystery concerning this enigmatic culture. The land mass
This period received its name from the modern village of Villanova where archaeologists found the first remnants of the Iron Age culture in 1953 (Nardo pg. 21). Studies of cemeteries and pottery from this period indicate that about ten to twelve major towns came into power during this period, the five largest of which would later become leading Etruscan cities; Caere, Tarquinii, Veii, Volsinii, and Vulci. One important change that occurred within this society was the beginnings of cremation of the dead versus inhumation, or burial. This practice inadvertently left a boon to modern day researchers in the form of pottery urns found in Villanovan cemeteries. These urns were shaped to resemble houses, and have provided researchers with a clear idea of what sort of architecture and possible materials may have been employed during this time period. At Tarquinii and Vulci, for example, these urns show that houses were either rectangular or oval shaped with conical roofs. They were still made from mostly thatch and dried mud, but now the mass of interwoven branches and reeds were often strengthened by pieces of timber and/or had a stone foundation. There is also evidence of small porches extending outward and protecting the single doorways. At some of the sites where researchers excavated actual dwellings there is evidence of some stone floors, hearths, and even shallow basements, most likely for food storage or
Male traders from these outside cultures soon established small trade towns on the coasts and soon afterwards the practice of intermarriage followed. In return for their metals, agricultural goods, and pottery the Etruscans received wine, olive oil, textiles, glasswork, and much more including the introduction of foreign customs and artistic and religious ideas which began to steadily transform the Etrurian culture (Nardo 24). Archaeologists were able to follow this process by comparing known religions, customs, styles of production and artistic styles of these foreign cultures and comparing them to the artifacts of the Etruscans. Evidence found in their tombs, such as paintings on the walls and the quality of trade goods found therein indicates a massive inflow of goods, especially luxury items, and the introduction of Greek mythology finding its way into the ideology of the Etruscan beliefs. The Etruscan temples themselves were made of wood and little archaeological evidence has been found except for their basic architectural layout (Barker and Rasmussen pg. 153). The Etruscan religion is believed to have been animistic and required no monuments; it wasn’t until Grecian influence entered their culture that their gods became anthropomorphic. “…most of what little is known about Etruscan