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ETRURIA

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Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 854 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ETRURIA , an See also:

ancient See also:district of See also:Italy, the extent of which varied considerably, and, especially in the earliest periods, is very difficult to define (see See also:section See also:Language). The name is the Latin See also:equivalent of the See also:Greek Tvppryvta or Tvporlvta, which is used by Latin writers also in the forms Tyrrhenia, Tyrrhenii; the See also:Romans also spoke of Tusci, whence the See also:modern See also:Tuscany (q.v.). In See also:early times the district appears to have included the whole of N. Italy from the See also:Tiber to the See also:Alps, but by the end of the 5th See also:century B.C. it was considerably diminished, and about the See also:year too B.C. its boundaries were the Arnus (See also:Arno), the See also:Apennines and the Tiber. In the See also:division of Italy by See also:Augustus it formed the seventh regio and extended as far See also:north as the See also:river Macra, which separated it from See also:Liguria. See also:History.—The See also:authentic history of Etruria is very meagre, and consists mainly in the See also:story of its relations with See also:Carthage, See also:Greece and See also:Rome. At some See also:period unknown, See also:prior to the 6th century, the Etrurians became a conquering See also:people and extended their See also:power not only northwards over, probably, See also:Mantua, Felsina, Melpum and perhaps •Hadria and See also:Ravenna (Etruria Circumpadana), but also southwards into See also:Latium and See also:Campania. The See also:chronology of this expansion is entirely unknown, nor can we recover with certainty the names of the cities which constituted the two leagues of twelve founded in the conquered districts on the See also:analogy of the See also:original See also:league in Etruria proper (below). In the early history of Rome the Etruscans See also:play a prominent See also:part. According to the semi-See also:historical tradition they were the third of the constituent elements which went to See also:form the See also:city of Rome. The tradition has been the subject of much controversy, and is still an unsolved problem. It is practically certain, however, that there is no See also:foundation for the ancient theory (cf.

Prop. iv. [v.] 1. 31) that the third See also:

Roman tribe, known as Luceres, represented an See also:Etruscan See also:element of the See also:population, and it is held by many authorities that the tradition of the Tarquin See also:kings of Rome represents, not an immigrant See also:wave, but the temporary domination of Etruscan lords, who extended their conquests some See also:time before 600 B.C. over Latium and Campania. This theory is corroborated by the fact that during the reigns of the Tarquin kings Rome appears as the See also:mistress of a district including part of Etruria, several cities in Latium, and the whole of Campania, whereas our earliest picture of re-publican Rome is that of a small See also:state in the midst of enemies. For this problem see further under RoME: History, section " The See also:Monarchy." After the See also:expulsion of the Tarquins the See also:chief events in Etruscan history are the vain See also:attempt to re-establish themselves in Rome ETRURIA under Lars See also:Porsena of See also:Clusium, the defeat of Octavius Mamilius, son-in-See also:law of Tarquinius Superbus, at See also:Lake See also:Regillus, and the treaty with Carthage. This last event shows that the Etruscan power was formidable, and that by means of their See also:fleet the Etruscans held under their exclusive See also:control the See also:commerce of the Tyrrhenian See also:Sea. By this treaty See also:Corsica was assigned to the Etruscans while Carthage obtained See also:Sardinia. Soon after this, decay set in. In 474 the Etruscan fleet was destroyed by See also:Hiero I. (q.v.) of See also:Syracuse; Etruria Circumpadana was occupied by the Gauls, the Campanian cities by the See also:Samnites, who took See also:Capua (see CAMPANIA) in 423, and in 396, after a ten years' See also:siege, See also:Veii See also:fell to the Romans. The See also:battle of the Vadimonian Lake (309) finally extinguished Etruscan See also:independence, though for nearly . two centuries still the prosperity See also:elf the Etruscan cities far exceeded that of Rome itself. Henceforward Etruria is finally merged in the Roman state.

End of Article: ETRURIA

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