The Etruscans are a mystery. Where did they come from? What language did they speak? What was their relationship to the Greeks? What was their relationship to the Phoenicians? Their relationship to the Romans is well understood. As an older, better established, more international culture, the Etruscans exerted a powerful influence on the evolving nature of the new Roman culture. At first there was co-operation. Then there was competition. And finally there was conflict and war, with the eventual Roman triumph. Within this story are the ingredients of some of the most important qualities of the Roman culture. The Romans absorbed the Etruscans and were thereby changed dramatically.
The image at the right, of an Etruscan couple, carved in marble and adorning the top of an Etruscan sarcophagus, is in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston.
REQUIRED READING
Michael Grant, History of Rome, Part I, "Etruscan Rome"
RECOMMENDED READING
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and written by experts in the field.
