How did the Etruscans shape Roman history and society
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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.
However, they made a decisive contribution to the history of Europe, because they shaped in many ways the early development of Rome. Many of the most distinctive features of Roman society were in fact influenced by, or directly borrowed from the Etruscans. The Etruscans were a formative influence on Rome and this can be seen in its religion, culture, urban planning, and engineering and they also helped to establish it as a great city and one of the greatest powers in Italy. In order to understand Rome, it is necessary to understand the influence of the Etruscans on the Early Roman Republic.
Who were the Etruscans?
The Etruscans resided in ancient Italy in modern Tuscany and northern Lazio. They flourished in this area from 1000 BCE to 100 BCE.
[1] 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.
The Etruscans also had a good degree of technical know-how and they were renowned for their metalworking and their pottery skills. They were also expert sculptors and artists. The Etruscans as they were also known were expert seafarers and sailed throughout the western Mediterranean. From the 7th century BCE, they came into contact with Greek and Punic Civilizations and many Greeks even settled in Etruria.
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Why did the Etruscans fight the Greeks?
The Etruscans regularly fought the Greeks for control of the sea lanes. The Etruscans were never a coherent political unit but rather existed as independent city-states. The Etruscans were united by a common culture and religion. Despite this the various Etruscan city-states were distinctive.
[3] The coastal cities were generally much more cosmopolitan than those located in the interior. By the 7th century BCE, various Etruscan city-states united in a loose political and military league.
The Etruscans were formidable soldiers and copied the Hoplite tactics and weaponry of the Greeks. This allowed them to dominate a large area of Italy from the Po Valley to the area around Naples. Only the Greek city-states in
Magna Graecia (southern Italy) defied their armies in Italy. The Etruscans could conquer the city of Rome and their dominance was so complete that a dynasty of Etruscan kings the Tarquinii, ruled the city for much of the 6th century BCE. During this period the city of Rome grew rapidly and it is possible that many Etruscans came to live in the city. The Romans were culturally and ethnically different from the Etruscans.
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The early inhabitants of Rome were Latins and spoke an early form of the Latin language. During the reign of the Tarquinii kings, Rome was part of the Etruscan world and very much influenced by its civilization. From the 5th century BCE the Etruscans went into political and economic decline. Celtic tribes from the north invaded Etruria and sacked several cities. The Greeks at the sea-battle of Cumae defeated the Etruscan fleets and came to dominate the sea lanes and this led to economic decline in many Etruscan states. The Etruscan League of City-States was severely weakened and this allowed the Roman to first expel the Etruscan dynasty and uniting the Latin peoples of central Italy.
For about 150 years Rome and the Etruscans fought intermittent wars.
[5] Rome developed a sophisticated military and increasingly was able to defeat the Etruscans in battle. In 406 BCE, the Romans took the key Etruscan city of Veii after a lengthy siege allowed Rome to expand into Etruria. In 295 BCE the Roman legions defeated a coalition of Etruscan states at the Battle of Sentium. The Romans pressed home their advantage and in one year alone, (280 BCE) they captured three large Etruscan city-states.
In 273 BCE, the city of Cerveteri fell and this was the last independent Etruscan city-state. The Romans established military colonies in Etruria and this began a process of Romanization and gradually Etruscan culture began to disappear. Many Etruscan cities were destroyed by Sulla and his army during his war with Marius the and by 50 BCE the Etruscans had virtually disappeared from history and it seems that they had become thoroughly Romanized.
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