The influence of the Etruscan culture on the ancient Roman civilization. Etruscans - the mysterious predecessors of Rome The origin of the gods of the Etruscans and Romans
Etruscans - the mysterious predecessors of Rome
Mysterious, mysterious, unknown - such epithets are usually awarded to the Etruscans - the people who inhabited the territory of the modern Apennine Peninsula in ancient times. To some extent, this is true, since, despite the rather large number of material remains of their culture that have survived to our time - cities, tombs, household and religious items, this people largely remains an unsolved mystery. Even the civilizations of Egypt and the Ancient East seem to be more understandable and studied for modern science than the Etruscans. It can be said that the Etruscans continue to be a blank spot on the map of History along with the civilizations of Minoan Crete, the Maya, the Incas or the builders of Stonehenge in prehistoric England. In many ways, this position of this ancient European people is due to the lack of a key for deciphering their writing among modern researchers, as well as a clear idea of where the Etruscans came from. This led to the emergence of a large number of more or less plausible theories, which often contradict each other, and sometimes are completely fantastic, attributing to the Etruscans almost an alien origin. The eminent ancient Roman historian Polybius said: "The historian should not amaze his readers with stories of extraordinary events." Therefore, we will try, following his advice, to understand the intricate issues of Etruscan studies, avoiding speculation as much as possible and using only verified facts. But since there are not many verified facts, in general, it probably won’t work without speculation at all ...
So, at the moment it is known that the people, which the Romans called the Etruscans or "Tusks", and the Greeks - "Tyrrhens" or "Tersens", called themselves "rasna" or "rasena". It is believed that he appeared in Italy in the XI century BC. e. This is followed by a break of several centuries, when nothing was heard of the Etruscans. And suddenly, by the end of the 8th century BC. e. it turns out that the Etruscans are a people with developed agriculture and crafts, their cities conduct extensive overseas trade, exporting grain, metal, wine, ceramics, dressed leather. The Etruscan nobility - lukumons - builds fortified cities, seeks fame and fortune in continuous campaigns, raids and battles. Two nations fought at this time for dominance at sea - the Greeks and the Carthaginians. The Etruscans took the side of the Carthaginians in this struggle, their pirates dominated the Mediterranean, so much so that the Greeks were afraid to go even into the Tyrrhenian Sea. In the 7th-6th centuries BC. e. in Etruria, large city-states arise: Veii, Caere, Tarquinia, Clusius, Arretius, Populonia. Etruscan influence spread from the Alps to Campania. In the north they found Mantua and Felzina (present-day Bologna), in Campagna twelve other cities. The Etruscan city of Adria in the northeast of the Apennine Peninsula gave its name to the Adriatic Sea. By the VI century BC. e. The Etruscans controlled an area of 70 thousand square kilometers, their number exceeded two million. Thus, we can say that in the Mediterranean part of the ancient world, the Etruscan civilization occupied a dominant position. Much of what we consider primordially Roman was born not on the hills of Latium, but on the plains of Etruria. Rome itself was created according to the Etruscan rite and built up according to the Etruscan model. The ancient temple on the Capitol and a number of other sanctuaries in Rome were built by Etruscan craftsmen. The ancient Roman kings from the Tarquinian family were of Etruscan origin; many Latin names have Etruscan roots, and some historians believe that it was through the Etruscans that the Romans borrowed the Greek alphabet. The oldest state institutions, laws, positions, circus games, theatrical performances, gladiator fights, the art of divination, and even many gods - all this came to the Romans from the Etruscans. Symbols of power - fasciae (bundles of rods with axes embedded in them), which were carried in front of the king, a senatorial toga trimmed with a purple border, the custom of triumph after defeating the enemy - and this is the legacy of the Etruscans. The Romans themselves admitted that triumphal and consular decorations were transferred to Rome from Tarquinia. Even the word "Rome" itself is of Etruscan origin, as well as other words that are considered purely Latin - tavern, cistern, ceremony, person, letter.
How did it happen that the more developed Etruria was defeated by the almost barbarian Italic tribes? What is the mystery of such a rapid rise and no less rapid decline of this mysterious civilization? As many modern scholars believe, the reason for the decline of the Etruscans was that, like the Greeks of the era that preceded the great Alexander the Great, they could not create a single state. There was only a federation (union) of self-governing cities. The heads of the Etruscan cities, who gathered in Volsinia in the sanctuary of the deity Volyumna (Voltkumna), alternately chose from their midst the main lukumon, who could only conditionally be considered a king, and the priest-high priest. For the Etruscan, the concept of "Motherland" was limited to the city walls, and beyond them his patriotism did not extend. The capture and destruction of one Etruscan city by the growing Roman state did not at all excite the inhabitants of another, and often the fall of a competitor even caused undisguised joy. But as it usually happens: "The one who laughs last laughs best," the joy turned out to be short-lived. And now this city became the prey of a young predator. Laughed, as a rule, Rome.
The power and influence of the Etruscans reached their zenith in 535 BC. e. Then, in the battle of Alalia in Corsica, the combined Carthaginian-Etruscan fleet inflicted a crushing defeat on the Greeks, and Corsica passed into the possession of the Etruscans. But just a few years later, the Etruscans began to suffer defeats from the Greeks and the previously conquered Italian tribes. Around this time, Rome was also freed from Etruscan domination. In the 5th century BC e. the territory of Etruria is greatly reduced, the connection between the cities, already fragile, is collapsing. As already mentioned, the cities do not come to the aid of each other. Experienced farmers and builders, skillful metallurgists, cunning inventors of anchors and sea rams, fearless and ferocious warriors were powerless before young Rome and its close-knit allies. Having subjugated all of Etruria, the Romans continued to remain under the influence of the Etruscan culture, which slowly withered as the Roman civilization flourished. By the middle of the 1st century BC. e. the Etruscans in the culture of Rome lost all meaning. The Etruscan language was remembered only by individual lovers. One of these lovers was the Emperor Claudius (10 BC - 54 AD). He wrote an Etruscan history in Greek in twenty volumes and ordered that every year on fixed days, readers should read it publicly from beginning to end in a building specially built for this purpose. "Tyrrenica" - "History of the Tyrrhens", or, as we would say now, "History of the Etruscans", Claudius considered his greatest achievement, along with another multi-volume opus of "Carfadonica" - "History of Carthage". What made Claudius study the history of these two ancient peoples? Was his interest in the Carthaginians and Etruscans accidental, or did he reflect a desire to look deeper into that historical period when Rome modestly stood at the very beginning of its path and was forced to win back positions in the struggle against the Etruscans and Greeks, and outside of Italy - against the Carthaginians? Unfortunately, we can only guess about this, since the books of Claudius have not reached us.
In all likelihood, the twenty books of Claudius about the Etruscans were a kind of encyclopedia of knowledge about this people. Judging by the impressive amount of work, the emperor had no reason to complain about the lack of sources. In the 1st century A.D. e. there are still many testimonies that have not reached our days. Claudius could still see the monuments of Etruscan culture, subsequently destroyed. He heard the speech of the Etruscans. True, in his time it sounded less and less, but was still heard in the Etruscan cities. He could meet with the Etruscans, not only in Etruria, but also directly in the imperial palace. Few non-specialists know that his first wife, Plautia Urgulanilla, belonged to this mysterious people. Claudius became acquainted with her relatives and, thanks to this, was relatively closely connected with the Etruscan world. Or rather, with what was left of him. The works of Claudius were already exceptional at that time. The emperor systematized information that had not been summarized in any independent study before him. It may also seem strange that they belonged to the pen of a Roman, and not an Etruscan. This is all the more surprising because in the era of the Empire there were many educated Etruscans who often occupied a high position and could, if they wished, write a work similar to the treatise of Claudius, if not better.
Gaius Cylnius Maecenas, an outstanding politician and confidant of Emperor Augustus, can serve as an example. His name became a household name: using his influence, Maecenas supported gifted poets and artists with money. The famous Roman lyricist Horace also belonged to them. From his poems it became known that Maecenas had aristocratic ancestors in one of the Etruscan cities. Despite the fact that Maecenas, an Etruscan by origin, was close to art, there is no evidence that he was interested in the past of his people. The same can be said about another highly educated Etruscan - the satirist-fabulist Aulus Persia Flaccus, a native of the Etruscan city of Volaterra, who lived in the 1st century AD. e. And he showed much more interest in the problems of Rome than in the history of the Etruscans. His satires were aimed at ridiculing Roman manners. Some interest in the history of his people was shown by a friend of Cicero (Mark Tullius Cicero - an outstanding Roman orator and politician of the 1st century BC), the Romanized Etruscan Aulus Caecina, who carefully studied the Etruscan science of interpreting lightning. Probably, it was from him that Cicero learned information about the predictions of the future by the Etruscans, which he refers to in his work “On Divination”. Marcus Tullius, a very pragmatic man who received an excellent education, treated the studies of his Etruscan friend with the greatest respect. Even at the beginning of Cicero's career, Caecina predicted that, despite the glory achieved by the young orator, the people would one day turn away from him and sentence him to exile. And so it happened. When in 58 B.C. e. Cicero was banished, Caecina again predicted that he would soon return. The prediction came true.
Other historical figures known to us, Etruscans by origin, did not look back and, unfortunately, did not consider themselves to be among the people who had already left the historical stage of ancient Italy. This is an indisputable sign of the decline of the Etruscans. Due to the lack of interest in the Etruscans themselves in their past, it fell to the Greeks and Romans to summarize everything that was known about their history. But the history of the Etruscans interested them only insofar as it was connected with the history of their own peoples.
The most complete description of the Etruscans belongs to Diodorus Siculus, a Roman historian of the 1st century BC. e., who wrote in Greek. However, the information about the Etruscans given in his work is not the result of his own research. He borrowed them from the writings of the Greek historian Posidonius, who lived a century earlier. Here is what he says about the Etruscans:
“They were distinguished by courage, captured a vast territory and laid many glorious cities. They also excelled in their maritime forces and dominated the sea for a long time, so that thanks to them the sea adjacent to Italy was called the Tyrrhenian. To improve the land forces, they invented a bugle, which is very helpful in the conduct of war and is named Tyrrhenian in their honor. They honored the highest military commanders with the title of lictors, giving them the right to sit in ivory chairs and wear a toga with a red stripe. In the houses they built very comfortable colonnades to drown out the sounds made by the servants. Most of this was adopted by the Romans, brought into their settlements and improved. They eagerly studied, first of all, writing, the science of nature and the gods; more than all other people they were engaged in the science of lightning. Therefore, the rulers of almost the whole world still admire them and use them as interpreters of omens sent by the gods with the help of lightning. And since they live on a land that, cultivated, gives birth to everything for them, the harvest of their fruits is not only sufficient to eat, but also brings a rich income, allows them to live in excess. Twice a day they make them prepare rich meals and other things that are common in a luxurious life. They acquire sheets embroidered with flowers, and many silver bowls, and slaves to serve them; some slaves are distinguished by their beauty, others are dressed in clothes more expensive than befits a slave. And not only their servants have spacious dwellings, but also the majority of free citizens. Their strength, which has long been the envy of others, they completely squandered.
It is clear that they have lost the fighting prowess of their fathers if they spend their time in orgies and in entertainment unworthy of men. Their extravagance was facilitated, not least, by the rich land. For they live in a very fat land, on which everything can be cultivated, and they gather a rich harvest of all fruits.
In Etruria there is always a good harvest, and vast fields are spread in it. It is divided by steep hills, also suitable for cultivation. There is a sufficient amount of moisture not only in winter, but also in summer.”
In the work of Diodorus, there are other references to the Etruscans, but mainly when describing any events (the approach of many other ancient authors is similar). Most often, such events were wars in which the Etruscans constantly clashed with Rome. Given the patriotism of Roman authors, the Etruscans are often shown in black. The only exception is the description of their religious rites. Believing in the mysterious abilities of the Etruscans, the Romans were in awe of their knowledge in the field of divination and predictions.
An even more parsimonious characterization of the Etruscans was given by the Roman historian Titus Livius, who lived during the reign of Emperor Augustus, in his extensive work The History of Rome from the Foundation of the City. Here is what he reported:
“Even before the founding of Rome, Tusci owned vast expanses on land and sea. The names of the lower and upper seas, washing Italy like an island, indicate the past power of the Tusks, because the Italian peoples called one sea the Tussky, after this people, and the other, the Atriatic Sea, after the name of Atria, the Tusk colonies; the Greeks call these same seas one the Tyrrhenian and the other the Adriatic. And, stretching from one sea to the other, the tusks settled both regions, founding twelve cities each, formerly on this side of the Apennines to the lower sea, and over time, exiling colonies on the other side of the Apennines, in the same number as the metropolises , and having occupied with these colonies all the areas beyond the river Pad up to the Alps, with the exception of the land of the Vernets, inhabiting the corner of the sea bay.
At the same time as Livy lived two famous scientists who wrote in Greek - the geographer Strabo and the historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Both of them mention the Etruscans in their writings. Strabo wrote:
“As long as the Etruscans had one ruler, they were very strong. But over time, their organization probably fell apart, and they broke up into separate cities, yielding to the pressure of the neighboring population. For otherwise they would not have left the fat land and would not have set off on robbery at sea, some on these, others on those waters. After all, they were able, united, not only to repel the attack, but also to attack themselves, to undertake distant expeditions.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus created an extensive work on the history of Rome. Naturally, the Etruscans could not help but appear in his work. The description of Etruscan customs proposed by Dionysius is interesting in that it directly indicates where the Romans took many of their seemingly primordial traditions from. So, for example, Dionysius describes the emergence in Rome of the tradition, according to which the chief official was supposed to be accompanied by an honorary escort in the form of twelve lictors:
“As some say, they brought Tarquinius (meaning Tarquinius the Ancient, the Etruscan king who ruled in Rome) twelve axes, one from each Etruscan city. It seems to be an Etruscan custom that each ruler is preceded by a lictor who, besides a bunch of rods, also carries an axe. And every time these twelve cities made a joint action, they handed over these twelve axes to one ruler, who was entrusted with the overall command.
Information about the Etruscans, their history and life, given by Greek and Roman authors, sometimes coincides, sometimes complements each other, and sometimes is in conflict. These contradictions further thickened the veil of mystery enveloping the Etruscans. Let us also try to address the solution of the mysteries of this mysterious people.
So, riddle number one - "Who are the Etruscans, and where did they come to Italy?"
Even the ancient authors did not have an unequivocal answer to this question. In the 5th century BC BC, when the Etruscan civilization was still flourishing, the Greek historian Herodotus, who is called the "father of history", recorded interesting evidence. In his famous "History", devoted mainly to the Greco-Persian wars, he provided a lot of valuable information about the life of other peoples. Among the tribes drawn into the cycle of events around the Greco-Persian wars, Herodotus also mentions the inhabitants of Asia Minor - the Lydians. “During the reign of Atys, the son of Maneas, there was a great need for bread throughout Lydia. At first the Lydians endured the famine patiently; then, when the hunger did not stop, they began to invent means against it, and each one came up with his own special one. It was then, they say, that the games of cubes, dice, ball, and others were invented, besides the game of chess; Lydians do not attribute the invention of chess to themselves. These inventions served them as a means against hunger: one day they played continuously so as not to think about food, the next day they ate and left the game. In this way they lived for eighteen years. However, the hunger not only did not weaken, but was intensified; then the king divided the whole people into two parts and cast lots so that one of them would remain in their homeland, and the other would move out; he appointed himself king of the part that remained in place by lot, and appointed his son, named Tyrrhenus, over those who had emigrated. Those of them who had the lot to move out went to Smyrna (an ancient city on the coast of Asia Minor), built ships there, put on them the items they needed and left to look for food and a place to live. Having passed many peoples, they finally arrived at the Ombrics (tribes that inhabited in ancient times the region of Italy called Umbria), where they founded cities and live to this day. Instead of the Lydians, they began to call themselves by the name of the son of the king who forced them to emigrate; they took his name for themselves, and were called Tyrrhenians.
This is the very first and most coherent story that has come down to us about the origin of the Etruscans, whom the Greeks called Tyrrhenians. Herodotus, like many ancient scientists who followed him, believed that the Etruscans were alien people and did not belong to the indigenous population of Italy. The version about the eastern origin of the Etruscans seems even more convincing, since for centuries the Greek and Roman, and after them the Byzantine authors, with various variations, retold the story of Herodotus. In the days of the Roman Empire, according to the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, the ambassadors of two Lydian cities - Sardis and Smyrna, argued about who would have the honor of erecting a temple in honor of the emperor Tiberius. Sardis won, as they managed to prove to the Senate of Rome that it was from their city that King Tyrrhenus went in search of a new homeland and that they were closer to the Romans by blood. This story is interesting in that instead of Smyrna, the city of Sardis is named as the place of departure of the Tyrrhenians. The version of the origin of the Etruscans expressed by Herodotus has not lost its relevance today.
Another version of the origin of the Etruscans that has existed since antiquity is autochthonous. This means that the Etruscans did not come from anywhere and did not go anywhere, but lived in Italy from the earliest antiquity. It was first expressed by the eminent Roman historian of the 1st century BC, already mentioned by us. e., a Greek by origin, Dionysius of Halicarnassus. He argued that the Etruscans had nothing in common with either the Lydians or the Greeks. In his work “Roman Antiquities”, dedicated to the history of Rome from the founding of the city to its first collision with Carthage, Dionysius wrote: “Closer to the truth are those who believe that the Etruscans did not come from anywhere, but that they are a native people in Italy, since this the people are very ancient and do not resemble any other either in language or in customs. The testimonies of Dionysius are of particular interest also because he knew the Etruscans and could hear their speech. Some modern scholars call Dionysius of Halicarnassus the originator of the "Etruscan problem". But if the quoted passage from the work of this author had not reached our days, the Etruscan problem would still have arisen one way or another. The peculiarity of the Etruscan language, Etruscan art and the entire Etruscan civilization in itself raises the question of the sources of its origin.
There was also a third version of the origin of the Etruscans. We first meet her in Titus Livius:
“And the Alpine tribes, no doubt, are also of Etruscan origin, especially the Rhaetians, who, however, under the influence of the surrounding nature, became wild to such an extent that they did not retain anything from the old customs except the language, but even the language they could not save without distortion” . Livy had in mind the population of ancient Rhenia - the area stretching from Lake Constance to the Danube and including the current Tyrol (Austria) and part of Switzerland. As for the origin of the Etruscans, this passage is still not completely understood and allows for various interpretations. For example, it can be assumed from it that some Romans considered the Etruscans to come from somewhere in the north, and Rezia served as a kind of transshipment base for them. From there, the Etruscans moved to the Apennine Peninsula. This theory has been developed in more recent times.
So, in the ancient world there were at least three points of view on the origin of the Etruscans. Almost unchanged, they have reached our time. Moreover, in certain periods of the development of Etruscology, any one version became the most popular. In addition to these three most famous recent times a lot of new, sometimes convincing, and sometimes even fantastic assumptions about the ancestral home of the Etruscans appeared. But we'll talk about them later.
Let's start with the theory of the origin of the Etruscans, proposed by the "father of history" Herodotus. In modern historical science, it has been dubbed the "Asia Minor theory" or "Herodotus theory." Many prominent Etruscan historians adhered to the Asia Minor theory, supplementing and expanding it, in which they were greatly helped by archeology. So, for example, the Englishman Conway defends the Herodotian version. He suggested that at the end of II - beginning of I millennium BC. e.
gangs of Lydian pirates began to land on the western coast of Italy, north of the Tiber. Here they forced out the Umbrians, and then settled further along the peninsula. A similar opinion was expressed by the Italian Ducati. He believed that the Tyrrhenian-Etruscans came from Asia Minor and from the islands of the Aegean Sea. In search of fertile lands, small groups of conquerors landed in the region of Tuscany, where they subjugated the local Umbrian tribes, and eventually merged with them into one people - the Etruscans. The first city they founded in Italy was Tarquinia (late 8th - early 7th century BC). The settlers gave the local population their own language, alphabet, utensils and weapons, religion, etc.
An interesting version of the Eastern theory is offered by the Bulgarian scientist V. Georgiev. He claims that the Etruscans are none other than the inhabitants of Troy known from the poems of Homer and Virgil - the Trojans. Based on the legend of the migration of the Trojans led by Aeneas to Italy, which is found in both Roman and Greek epics, he supports his theory with linguistic data, proving the similarity of the names "Etruria" and "Troy". This theory is also supported by the fact that in the Iliad and the Odyssey there is no mention of the Etruscans, who played one of the leading political roles in the Aegean world. According to V. Georgiev, they are represented in these works under the name "Trojans". In favor of the Herodotus theory of the Asia Minor origin of the Etruscans, an inscription discovered in 1885 on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea speaks. Two French archaeologists, Cousin and Dürrbach, found a tombstone near the village of Caminia - a stele on which a warrior with a spear and a round shield was depicted in strokes. Next to the drawing on the stele was an inscription made in Greek letters, but not in Greek, although the Greeks were the main population of the island. When comparing the text with Etruscan scripts, it was proved that the language in which it is written has common features with Etruscan, if not completely so. The Lemnos stele, like the Etruscan inscriptions themselves, still cannot be deciphered, but the conclusion suggests itself that the stele is related to the Etruscans, and, therefore, the Etruscans lived on the island for some time. The island of Lemnos could be an ideal staging post for people crossing the Aegean and heading from Asia Minor to Italy. If we talk about the theory of the origin of the Etruscans from Asia Minor pirates, then there is no more convenient place for establishing pirate bases in the entire Mediterranean. There are many other facts that seem to support Herodotus' theory. The tombs in Asia Minor are very similar to those of the Etruscans; Asia Minor roots can be traced in the Etruscan language and proper names; the similarity of Etruscan religious rites and divination with those held in the Ancient East (for example, divination by the liver of a sacrificial animal was practiced in ancient Babylon). The ancient Egyptian texts mention the people "Turshu" (isn't it very consonant with the word "Tuski" - the Roman name for the Etruscans), which was part of the hordes of "peoples of the sea" that plundered Egypt in the XIV-XII centuries BC. e. But the Asia Minor theory still leaves a number of unresolved issues. If the Etruscans were pirates, then how could they capture and subjugate such a powerful tribe of the ancient inhabitants of Italy - the Umbrians, about which almost all ancient authors speak with respect? Moreover, how could the wild and half-starved settlers of Asia Minor create such a high culture? And if we assume that it was a whole people, then how could they move to Italy by sea? It is known that all the great migrations of peoples in antiquity took place exclusively by land, because you had to carry all your belongings on yourself, and you can’t load much on the ships of that time. And even if we assume that numerous Asia Minor settlers arrived by ship, why did they choose places north of the Tiber for their settlement, ignoring the much more convenient, fertile and less populated areas of Sicily and Campania, because the Greeks and Phoenicians who occupied these areas appeared there at the same time if not later than the Etruscans? And if we talk about the elements of Eastern culture, then they can be fully explained by borrowings that were found everywhere among the peoples living next to the developed civilizations of Egypt and the Ancient East: Greeks, Minoans, Hittites, etc. So it’s too early to talk about the exclusively Asia Minor origin of the Etruscans. At the very least, there are other theories worth considering.
The theory of the northern origin of the Etruscans, put forward by Titus Livy, found its supporters in the 18th-19th centuries. They emphasized two things. The first is the similarity in the sound of the words "Rhetia" and "Rasena" - this is how the Etruscans called themselves. The second is the fact that in the Danubian Rhaetian region, inscriptions were found made in Etruscan letters in a language not only similar to the language of the Etruscans, but, according to some scientists, identical to it. The authority of Livy thus increased even more, and the theory of the northern origin of the Etruscans seemed to be proven. But it seemed so only initially. In fact, the problem was far from finally resolved, and Livy's point of view did not triumph for long. As a matter of fact, from the very beginning it was refuted by the data of another ancient historian - Pliny the Elder. He writes that the Etruscans were called rets, who in the 4th century BC. e. ousted from the valley of the Po River by the invasion of the Celts. This explains the origin of the Etruscan finds in the Danube region.
The outstanding German historian B. G. Niebuhr (1776–1831), the first major specialist on Ancient Rome, did not agree with Pliny's opinion. He dismissed Pliny's opinion as unsubstantiated. Niebuhr argued that the areas from which the Etruscans were supposedly driven out under the pressure of the Celts were not yet inhabited at that time and, therefore, the Etruscans did not come from Italy to Rhaetia, but, on the contrary, from Rhaetia to Italy.
Niebuhr's point of view on the northern origin of the Etruscans was supported by the famous Italian scientists de Sanctis and Pareti. De Sanctis considered Etruscan tribes who came to Italy from the north around 1800 BC. who built their houses on stilts. In 1926, Pareti published a work in which he argued that the Etruscans were newcomers from the north, who at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. entered Italy and created the Villanova culture. However, such an identification of the Etruscans with the bearers of ancient cultures is not supported by convincing evidence. Therefore, the theory of the northern origin of the Etruscans remains unproven and even somewhat outdated.
The theory of the local origin of the Etruscans is not in the best position either. Its supporters, and they include the famous Italian Etruscologists Alfredo Trombetti and Giacomo Devoto, draw their main evidence from the field of linguistics. They emphasize that the Etruscan language does not belong to the Indo-European languages spoken by the settlers who penetrated Greece and Italy in the 2nd millennium BC. e. The population that lived in Italy before their arrival spoke a different language, which should be considered the ancestor of the Etruscan language. But if the Etruscans really represent the autochthonous (local) population of Italy, then how to explain the fact that the finds associated with them belong to a relatively late period - more precisely, to the 8th century BC? e.? How to explain that the language of the ancient Italic population turned out to be so viable that it became the basis for the Etruscan language, while no other reliable information about the Italic tribes has been preserved?
Thus, the theory of the local origin of the Etruscans has its drawbacks, and its arguments are far from convincing in everything.
An interesting approach to the problem of the origin of the Etruscans was proposed by the most famous and erudite Italian historian and Etruscologist Massimo Pallotino. He insists that the main thing is not whether the Etruscans came to Italy and if they came, then from where, but how the Etruscan people developed in Italy and thanks to which they achieved such success. Pallotino proceeds from the fact that the Etruscans undoubtedly exist in Italy from the 8th century BC. e. and that from this moment it is possible to trace and describe the process of the development of the Etruscans and the creation of their own culture. The scientist correctly notes that the development of the Etruscans did not take place in "airless space". This process was influenced not only by the Italian environment of that time - primarily the bearers of the Villanova culture - but also the world, especially Greece and the eastern regions of the Mediterranean. Thanks to the sea connections of Etruria with other countries and the resettlement of foreigners in the Etruscan colonies, their civilization developed under the strong influence of Greek and Eastern cultures.
This circumstance creates the impression that Etruscan culture is an integral part of Eastern civilization. The German F. Altheim agrees with the opinion of Pallotino. He thoroughly studied the early history of ancient Italy and also considers the Etruscans to be a purely Italic phenomenon. On the basis of information obtained from ancient sources, he concluded that the urban population was not purely Etruscan, that the Etruscan people in the form in which we imagine it arose through the merger of several peoples.
But there are counterarguments to this theory as well. Can the originality of the Etruscan civilization be explained only by the fact that the nation, in the process of its development, took one thing from one people, and another from another? Didn't this people have to bring a lot of their own in order to create a culture from a mixture of heterogeneous elements that not only delighted their contemporaries, but also amazes the people of our time? Pallotino attaches great importance to the influence on the Etruscans of the East, Altheim - Greece. Both points of view are correct. But the main question remains: why did the Etruscans turn out to be so susceptible to Greek and Eastern influences? Did not exist between the East and Etruria (or between Greece and Etruria) closer ties than a simple borrowing of elements of culture?
If we are already talking about the theories of the origin of the Etruscans, we cannot ignore one more theory. Namely, about the Slavic roots of this ancient people. Although this theory is widespread among researchers from exclusively Slavic countries, it is not without interest and is peculiar. According to scientists who adhere to the Proto-Slavic theory of the origin of the Etruscans: Slavic pagan rites, the holidays of Christmas (December 25), New Year (Generous Evening), Kupala and others, preserved on the Dnieper to this day, were performed invariably back in Troy, Phrygia, among the Etruscans of Italy , and many were inherited by Rome.
For more than five thousand years, proverbs, sayings and national features of the life of the Etruscans have been preserved in Russia. There are many of these experiences. For example, the researcher Snegirev refers to such well-known traditions as “sprinkling salt - to a quarrel”, if a person sneezed, you need to say “be healthy” - to those preserved from the Etruscans. Even food: borscht, sausage, fried beans were both Roman and Russian national dishes, borrowed from their common predecessors with Russia - the Etruscans. The main pagan gods of Russia and the Slavs: Svarog, Perun, Stribog, Month, Lada, Kupala and others were also the main gods of the Etruscans. The ceremonies and rituals were the same. The Etruscan holiday of the god of the lunar sky - Janus, which is identical to the holiday of the birth of the Month on the Dnieper (the holiday of Generous Evening), became under Julius Caesar in 46 BC. e. the beginning of a new year according to the new calendar (January 1). The people in Rome, as well as in Russia to this day, kept the tradition that every work begun on the feast of the birth of the Month (Generous Evening) will be successfully completed.
This outraged some conservative researchers, such as A. M. Kondratov, who wrote that such a formulation of the question looks "completely humorous, parodic."
However, supporters of the Slavic theory are not appeased. They prove that the main god of Russia and the Slavs - Perun - was also the god of the Etruscans. The god of thunder and lightning among the Etruscans was called Stri, and in Russia he was revered under the name Stribog. Another argument in favor of the Slavic origin of the Etruscans is that the name of the Slavic peoples (until the 6th century) - the Venedi (Veneti) connects the Slavs with Troy: according to the World History of Pompey Trogus in the processing of Justin: "... the Wends were expelled by Atenor from Troy."
Thus, modern Russian scientists-etruscologists conclude that the Trojans were Etruscans, and ancient authors report that the Wends were Trojans. The Etruscans, brought by Tyrrhenus from Lydia (according to Herodotus), were close to the Trojans, and the Wends, according to Scandinavian chroniclers and Slavic ethnography, were associated with Phrygia and Troy. The Carpathians were called the Venedi mountains, and it was in Russia that the birthplace of the goddesses was located: Tana, Lada, Artemis. The Etruscans called themselves races; according to Herodotus, the territory of the future Russia was occupied by the Tirsaget tribe, but Tirsa is the Greek name for the Etruscans. Herodotus wrote about the tribe of Getae (Thracians) - Etruscans by origin. All of the above allowed scientists who adhere to the positions of the “Slavic theory” even to conclude that some tribes of the descendants of the Etruscans survived until the 19th century: Rasen - Rusyns, Wends - Slovenes - Rets (Eastern Antes), Tirsagetes, etc. Of course, The theory is very interesting, but, at the same time, very controversial. We will return to this theory once more when we turn to the problem of unraveling the Etruscan language.
Thus, even thoughtful and seemingly convincing theories of the origin of the Etruscans are not free from moments of doubt. This is especially noticeable in cases where the arguments are not very well substantiated, and the connection between them is not sufficiently proven.
The heavy gates that guard the secret of the Etruscans are still closed. Etruscan sculptures, staring in a daze into the void or immersed in self-contemplation with a dreamy smile, show with their whole appearance that they have nothing to say to the researchers. Etruscan inscriptions are still silent, as if arguing that they are not intended for anyone other than those who created them, and will never speak again.
But even if the inscriptions betrayed their secret, would they shed light on the history of the Etruscans?
Perhaps the deciphering of the Etruscan inscriptions would be of great historical meaning, since they could probably reveal the relationship of the Etruscans with the rest of the ancient world and would bring new data about their origin. It is possible, however, that these inscriptions would not give us anything new, but only confirmed one of the existing theories of the origin of the Etruscans. But the Etruscan language keeps its secrets tightly, and more than one generation of scientists around the world is struggling to decipher it. Sometimes it seems that success is close and ancient Etruria is about to reveal its secrets. But, alas, the grand opening does not work. And this is especially striking given that all the Etruscan texts are very easy to read, since they are all written in Greek letters. So - we know the letters, we know the phonetics, but we can’t read! Hence the next big (and probably the most significant) mystery of the Etruscans is their language.
As Dionysius of Halicarnassus wrote: "Their language is not similar to any other people." And indeed it is. Among the languages that were once spoken in Italy, the Etruscan language occupied a special place. It is known that it was distributed not only in Etruria itself, but also in the areas that the Etruscans owned in the north, as well as in the provinces of Latium and Campania. The speech of the Etruscan sailors sounded in the port cities of Greece, and in Iberian Spain, on Crete, in Asia Minor and in Carthage. Based on this, it can be assumed that many people knew the Etruscan language. However, their language is the most difficult problem facing Etruscologists.
Some scholars believe that as early as the 1st century BC. e. Etruscan was a living language, that is, one that was widely used in everyday life. However, already in the previous century, it was significantly supplanted by Latin, which spread irresistibly along with the political power of Rome. And by the 1st century A.D. e. there are almost no people left who would speak Etruscan. Soon, the Etruscan language was generally forgotten, so complete that for several generations of scientists, truly titanic efforts have been made to at least partially understand the meaning of Etruscan words. As we noted above, reading Etruscan inscriptions is relatively easy, because the Etruscan alphabet is based on ancient Greek. But although Etruscologists can read Etruscan texts, nevertheless, they are in the position of a person who, not knowing, for example, the Hungarian language, holds a Hungarian book in his hands. He knows letters, so he can read words and whole phrases, but their meaning remains a mystery to him.
The only consolation is that Etruscologists, unlike specialists in other dead languages (for example, Maya or ancient Crete), do not have to solve the problem of reading the text. Etruscologists could even trace the development of the Etruscan alphabet, since among the archaeological finds there are several objects with a list of letters - the alphabet. They date from different eras, and some of the letters are slightly different. The Italian scientist A. Minto discovered in one of the Etruscan burials near the city of Marsiliana de Albeña, next to three human skeletons, a large cauldron filled with gold and ivory items. The most valuable was an ivory plate measuring 5 by 9 centimeters. Remains of wax have been preserved on it, in which letters were squeezed out with a special stick - a stylus. On one edge of the plate, 26 letters of the Etruscan alphabet of the 8th century BC were applied. e. The opinion of scientists about the purpose of the tablet is different. Some believe that it was a primer for those who learned to write and read, while others believe that this is a kind of evidence that its owner was a literate person. Literacy in those days was a rare phenomenon, and such a person enjoyed great respect among fellow tribesmen, who considered it necessary to emphasize the significance of the deceased even after his death, burying a similar tablet with him. Another find of the alphabet was made in the Etruscan city of Caere (present-day Cerveteri) in the famous "grave of Regolini-Glassi". Here the alphabet was inscribed on the lower border of the vessel, which, apparently, was an inkwell. This alphabet is a hundred years "younger" than that found in Marsiliana. Scientists date it to the 7th century BC. e. The signs of both alphabets are very similar.
It remains unclear why all the alphabets were found in graves and even on the walls of crypts. The French scientist J. Ergon suggested that these alphabets could serve completely different purposes. He proceeded from the fact that the ancient peoples endowed writing with magical powers. It is likely that the Etruscans also laid alphabetic tablets in their graves precisely because they attributed to letters the power that could free a person from the power of time, and that writing for them was inextricably linked with the concept of immortality and eternity.
In addition to primers, a huge number of Etruscan inscriptions have survived to this day, found on tombstones, urns, sculptures, tiles, vessels and mirrors. The largest number of inscriptions was found in Etruria itself. In areas located to the south and north of it, there are already fewer of them. Some finds have also been made outside of Italy. Such finds include a small ivory tablet with an Etruscan inscription found in Carthage.
It is often difficult to determine to which century items and inscriptions on them belong. When determining the chronology of an inscription, an experienced Etruscologist can tell a lot about the shape of the letters and even the sound of the written word. So, for example, the Greek name Klytimnestra in ancient Etruscan sounds like Klutumustha, and in the later - Klutumsta. The earliest known Etruscan inscriptions date back to the 8th century BC. e., the latest - by the 1st century BC. e. Then they disappear altogether, and inscriptions in Latin take their place. The number of Etruscan inscriptions that have come down to us is quite large - more than ten thousand. However, they cannot significantly make life easier for researchers, since ninety percent of them are short gravestone inscriptions containing only the name of the deceased, his age, and only occasionally scanty information about the positions he held during his lifetime. For example: Alethnas Arnth (the name of the deceased Arnt Aletna), Larisal (father's name - the son of Laris), Zilath (position - was a Zilat), Tarchnalthi (city - in Tarquinia), Amce (was).
Due to the similarity of the inscriptions and their meager vocabulary, most of them do not give anything in deciphering the Etruscan texts. And although Etruscologists have analyzed many inscriptions, nevertheless, their knowledge is limited to a very small number of expressions. The situation did not change after the discovery of the largest handwritten Etruscan monument, which experts called Liber Linteus - "Linen Book". Linen - because it is written on linen. It is a rare stroke of luck that of the ancient books written on fabrics, it is the Etruscan text that has been preserved, because, judging by the mentions of ancient authors, books of this kind were most common in Rome. From them we learn that such books were either of an official or religious nature.
This unique literary monument was found under very mysterious circumstances.
In the middle of the 19th century, a Croatian tourist was traveling in Egypt. Being an avid collector, he bought a mummy of a woman there and brought it to Vienna, where it became an adornment of his collection of curiosities. After the death of the collector, his brother, not knowing what to do with the mummy, donated it to the Zagreb Museum. They noticed that there were traces of inscriptions on the strips of cloth in which the mummy was wrapped, and only then did they finally pay attention to the "packaging" of the mummy. True, at that time no one knew that this was an Etruscan text, and at first they believed that the inscription was made in Arabic, then in Ethiopian, and only the Austrian Egyptologist J. Krall established that these were Etruscan inscriptions. He was the first to publish the text of the Linen Book in 1892.
Liber Linteus, or, as it is also called, the "Book of the Mummy", originally had the form of a scroll about 35–40 centimeters wide and several meters long. The text on the scroll was written in columns, of which incomplete twelve have been preserved on several strips ranging in length from 30 centimeters to 3 meters.
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(1494-1559)
Argumentation of the migration version
The works of Herodotus, which appeared in the 5th century BC, speak in favor of the second theory. e. According to Herodotus, the Etruscans are from Lydia, a region in Asia Minor, - tyrrhens or tyrsenes, forced to leave their homeland due to catastrophic crop failure and famine. According to Herodotus, this happened almost simultaneously with the Trojan War. Hellanic from the island of Lesbos mentioned the legend of the Pelasgians, who arrived in Italy and began to be called Tyrrhenians. At that time, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed and the empire of the Hittites fell, that is, the appearance of the Tyrrhenes should be dated to the 13th century BC. e. or a little later. Perhaps this legend is connected with the myth of the escape to the west of the Trojan hero Aeneas and the founding of the Roman state, which was of great importance to the Etruscans. Herodotus' hypothesis is confirmed by genetic analysis data, which confirm the relationship of the Etruscans with the inhabitants of the lands currently belonging to Turkey.
Up to the middle of the 20th century. The "Lydian version" was subjected to serious criticism, especially after the decipherment of the Lydian inscriptions - their language had nothing to do with Etruscan. However, there is also a version that the Etruscans should not be identified with the Lydians, but with the more ancient, pre-Indo-European population of the west of Asia Minor, known as the "Protoluvians". With the Etruscans of this early period, A. Erman identified the legendary Tursha tribe, who lived in the eastern Mediterranean and carried out predatory raids on Egypt (XIII-VII centuries BC).
Argumentation of the complex version
On the basis of ancient sources and archeological data, it can be concluded that the most ancient elements of prehistoric Mediterranean unity took part in the ethnogenesis of the Etruscans during the period of the beginning of the movement from East to West in the 4th-3rd millennium BC. e.; also a wave of migrants from the area of the Black and Caspian Seas in the II millennium BC. e. In the process of the formation of the Etruscan community, traces of Aegean and Aegean-Anatolian emigrants were found. In confirmation of this, the results of excavations on about. Lemnos (Aegean Sea), where inscriptions close to the grammatical structure of the Etruscan language were found.
Geographical position
It is not yet possible to determine the exact limits of Etruria. The beginning of the history and culture of the Etruscans was laid in the region of the Tyrrhenian Sea and limited to the basin of the rivers Tiber and Arno. The river network of the country also included the rivers Aventia, Vesidia, Tsetsina, Aluza, Umbro, Oza, Albinia, Armenta, Marta, Minio, Aro. A wide river network created conditions for developed agriculture, which was complicated in a number of places by swampy areas. Southern Etruria, whose soils were often of volcanic origin, had extensive lakes: Tsiminskoe, Alsietiskoe, Statonenskoe, Volsinskoe, Sabatinskoe, Trazimenskoe. More than half of the country's territory was occupied by mountains and hills. According to the paintings and reliefs, one can judge the diversity of the flora and fauna of the region. The Etruscans cultivated cypress, myrtle, and pomegranate brought to Italy from Carthage (the image of a pomegranate is found on Etruscan objects in the 6th century BC).
Cities and necropolises
Each of the Etruscan cities controlled a certain territory. The exact number of inhabitants of the Etruscan city-states is unknown, according to rough estimates, the population of Cerveteri during its heyday was 25 thousand people.
Cerveteri was the southernmost city of Etruria, he controlled the deposits of metal-bearing ore, which ensured the prosperity of the city. The settlement was located near the coast on a steep ledge. The necropolis was traditionally located outside the city. A road led to it, along which funeral carts were transported. There were tombs on both sides of the road. The bodies rested on benches, in niches or terracotta sarcophagi. Along with them were placed the personal belongings of the deceased.
From the name of this city (Etr. - Caere), the Roman word "ceremony" subsequently came - this is how the Romans called some funeral rites.
The nearby town of Veii was well protected. The city and its acropolis were surrounded by moats, making Veii almost impregnable. Here they found an altar, the foundation of the temple and water tanks. Vulka, the only Etruscan sculptor whose name we know, was a native of Vei. The area around the city is notable for the passages carved into the rock that served to drain water.
The recognized center of Etruria was the city of Tarquinia. The name of the city comes from the son or brother of Tyrren Tarkon, who founded twelve Etruscan policies. The necropolises of Tarquinia centered around the hills of Colle de Civita and Monterozzi. The tombs carved into the rock were protected by mounds, the chambers were painted for two hundred years. It was here that magnificent sarcophagi were found, decorated with bas-reliefs with images of the deceased on the lid.
When laying the city, the Etruscans observed rituals similar to those of the Romans. An ideal place was chosen, a hole was dug into which sacrifices were thrown. From this place, the founder of the city, with a plow harnessed by a cow and an ox, made a furrow that determined the position of the city walls. Wherever possible, the Etruscans used the lattice layout of the streets, orienting them to the cardinal points.
Story
The formation, development and collapse of the Etruscan state took place against the background of three periods of Ancient Greece - orientalizing or geometric, classical (Hellenistic), as well as the rise of Rome. The earlier stages are given in accordance with the autochthonous theory of the origin of the Etruscans.
Protovillanovian period
The most important of the historical sources that marked the beginning of the Etruscan civilization is the Etruscan chronology of saecula (centuries). According to him, the first century of the ancient state, saeculum, began around the 11th or 10th century BC. e. This time refers to the so-called protovillanovian period (XII-X centuries BC). There is extremely little data on protovillanovians. The only important evidence of the beginning of a new civilization is a change in the funeral rite, which began to be performed by cremating the body on a funeral pyre, followed by burial of the ashes in urns.
Periods of Villanova I and Villanova II
After the loss of independence, Etruria retained a cultural identity for some time. In the II-I centuries BC. e. local art continued to exist; this period is also called the Etruscan-Roman period. But gradually the Etruscans adopted the way of life of the Romans. In 89 BC. e. the inhabitants of Etruria received Roman citizenship. By this time, the process of Romanization of Etruscan cities was practically completed along with Etruscan history proper.
Art and culture
The first monuments of Etruscan culture date back to the end of the 9th - beginning of the 8th centuries. BC e. The cycle of development of the Etruscan civilization ends by the 2nd century BC. BC e. Rome was under its influence until the 1st century. BC e.
The Etruscans for a long time preserved the archaic cults of the first Italic settlers and showed a particular interest in death and the afterlife. Therefore, Etruscan art was significantly associated with the decoration of tombs, and based on the concept that the objects in them should retain a connection with real life. The most notable of the surviving monuments are sculpture and sarcophagi.
Etruscan language and literature
Women's toilet articles constituted a special category. One of the most famous products of the Etruscan craftsmen were bronze hand mirrors. Some are equipped with folding drawers, decorated with high reliefs. One surface was carefully polished, the reverse was decorated with engraving or high relief. Bronze was used to make strigils - spatulas for cleaning off oil and dirt, cysts, nail files, chests.
The Etruscans all wore short hair, with the exception of the priests - haruspices [ ] . The priests did not cut their hair, but removed it from their foreheads with a narrow headband, a gold or silver hoop [ ] . In more ancient period the Etruscans cut their beards short, but later they began to shave them clean [ ] . Women loosened their hair over their shoulders or braided it into braids and covered their heads with a hat.
Leisure
The Etruscans loved to participate in combat competitions and, possibly, to help other people with the housework [ ] . Also, the Etruscans had a theater, but it did not become as widespread as, for example, the Attic theater, and the found manuscripts of plays are not enough for a final analysis.
Economy
Crafts and agriculture
The basis of the prosperity of Etruria was agriculture, which made it possible to keep livestock and export surplus wheat to Largest cities Italy. In the archaeological material, grains of spelt, oats and barley were found. The high level of agriculture of the Etruscans made it possible to engage in selection - an Etruscan variety of spelt was obtained, for the first time they began to cultivate cultivated oats. Flax went to sewing tunics and raincoats, ship sails. This material was used to record various texts (later this achievement was borrowed by the Romans). There is evidence from the ancients about the strength of linen thread, from which Etruscan artisans made shells (tomb of the 6th century BC, Tarquinia). Quite widely, the Etruscans used artificial irrigation, drainage, and regulation of the flow of rivers. Ancient canals known to archaeological science were located near the Etruscan cities of Spina, Veii, in the Coda region.
In the bowels of the Apennines, copper, zinc, silver, iron were deposited, on the island of Ylva (Elba) iron ore reserves - everything was developed by the Etruscans. The presence of numerous metal products in the tombs of the VIII century. BC e. in Etruria is associated with an adequate level of mining and metallurgy. The remains of mining are widely found near ancient Populonia (Campiglia Marritima region). The analysis allows us to establish that the smelting of copper and bronze preceded ironworking. There are finds made of copper, inlaid with miniature iron squares - a technique used when working with expensive materials. In the 7th century BC e. iron was still a rare metal to work with. Nevertheless, metalworking in cities and colonial centers was revealed: in Capua and Nola, the production of metal utensils was developed, in Minturni, Venafra, Suessa, an assortment of blacksmith craft items was found. Metalworking workshops are marked in Marzabotto. For that time, the mining and processing of copper and iron was significant in terms of the scale of application. In this area, the Etruscans succeeded in building mines for the manual extraction of ore.
By modern standards, Etruscan houses are rather sparsely furnished. As a rule, the Etruscans did not use shelves and cabinets, they kept things and provisions in caskets, baskets or hung on hooks.
Luxury goods and jewelry
For centuries, Etruscan aristocrats wore jewelry and acquired luxury goods made of glass, faience, amber, ivory, precious stones, gold and silver. Villanovians in the 7th century BC e. wore glass beads, precious metal jewelry, and earthenware pendants from the Eastern Mediterranean. The most important local items were fibulae, made of bronze, gold, silver and iron. The latter were considered rare.
The exceptional prosperity of Etruria in the 7th century BC. e. caused the rapid development of jewelry and the influx of imported products. Silver bowls were imported from Phoenicia, the images on them were copied by Etruscan craftsmen. Caskets and goblets were made from ivory imported from the East. Most of the jewelry was made in Etruria. Goldsmiths used engraving, filigree and graining. In addition to brooches, pins, buckles, hair bands, earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, plates for clothes were widespread.
During the archaic, decorations became more elaborate. Earrings in the form of tiny pouches and disc-shaped earrings came into fashion. Semi-precious stones and colored glass were used. During this period, beautiful gems appeared. Hollow pendants or bulla often played the role of amulets, they were worn by children and adults. Etruscan women of the Hellenistic period preferred Greek-type jewelry. In the II century BC. e. they wore a tiara on their heads, small earrings with pendants in their ears, clasps in the form of discs on their shoulders, bracelets and rings adorned their hands.
Geography. Etruria, Padana region, Campania. In the VI century. move to the south and to the north => capture Rome (the last kings of Rome are the Etruscans), but the Hellenes drive them back to the north (524, 474 under Cum), incl. Rome liberated in 510. By 400, the Gauls drove the Etruscans to the N, by 282 the Etruscans were conquered by Rome and Romanized. Heyday in ¾ VI century.
Meaning. One of the 2 cultures that strongly influenced the Roman (up to the 4th century BC). It stands out strongly against the background of all sorts of Ligures, Italics, Illyrians with its development (there is a state).
Archeology. All Etruscan archeology goes without parallel written sources => beautiful, but not very informative. Necropolises of northern and middle Italy with rich burials, wall paintings. 5th century city near Marzabotto. Regular layout. Port of Spin VI-IV centuries. (aerial photography). Port of Pyrga, 5th century (remains of sanctuaries, tablets with sacred text in parallel in Etruscan and Phoenician languages). Etruscan residential buildings near Aqua Rossa. Up to 11,000 inscriptions, they are easy to read, but the meaning is unclear. Architecture. Regular plans (hence the later Hppodam system). Fortification. Temples similar to Greek ones. Sarcophagi, frescoes, sculpture.
Economy.
Agricultural. The basis of everything, because good soils. Waterlogging trend => first time drainage works.
Craft. Highly developed, tk. there are deposits of tin, copper, iron. Buccero ceramics. Sarcophagi and urns. Trade is well developed (Egyptian goods in tombs, shipwrecks).
Colonization. In the VI century. and mainly to Corsica and Sardinia. There, the struggle with the Greeks is on the side of Carthage.
society. There is stratification. patriarchal slavery. There are impoverished layers. The top is military-priestly. There are free artisans and farmers. Matrilineality along with patrilineality.
Politics. Initially, they were ruled by kings and military-priestly nobility, but from the 6th century. something like magistrates. There is no single state, but there are 3 leagues (Tuscan, Padana, Campanian) - something like a confederation of cities. Each city has its own army (heavily armed foot soldiers and nobility on horses and chariots).
culture. It is highly developed and influences the Roman. It is formed under the influence of autochthonous features, Greek, Carthaginian and Asia Minor factors. Developed mythology and pantheon (Tini, Uni Menrva, Herkle). The influence of the Hittites and Greeks on them is obvious. Haruspices. Feature - realism. turning into naturalism. In painting - the technique of continuous images (comics). Religion is much darker than Roman. There is eschatology. Demonology.
Etruscan question in historiography. Several points of view on the origin and language of the Etruscans.
Etruscan language.
Pre-Indo-European origin of the Etruscan language. Ancient population of Asia and the Mediterranean.
Indo-European origin of the Etruscan language. Affinity with Hittite and Pelasgian.
The origin of the Etruscans.
Eastern theory. According to Herodotus. Dominated in the 17th century. It is also followed by Modestov (XX century). Eastern origin of the Etruscans (according to Herodotus - from Lydia).
Alpine theory. It is based on the identification of two ethnonyms: Rasen (self-name of the Etruscans) and Retes (Alpine tribe). Appears in the 18th century, in the 19th century. Mommsen and Niebuhr adhere to it, in the 20th century. - racists (Nordic origin of the Etruscans => Romans => Fritz).
Autochthonous theory. Based on the news of Dionysius of Halicarnassus. It is no longer bent by German, but by Italian fascists in the 20th century.
Theory of M. Pallotino. Dominates. the bottom line is that the Etruscans did not come from anywhere in finished form, and were not the original inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula, but were formed there from heterogeneous elements.
etruscan civilization roman culture
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA ON THE ETRUSSIAN INFLUENCE
Roman historiography, represented by Titus Livy, recognized that the Etruscans settled in Rome, and some of them ended up in the ruling elite of the state. With difficulty accepting Servius Tullius, to whom the Latin genealogy was attributed, the ancient authors were forced to leave two Etruscan Tarquinii in the list of seven kings. Archeology fully confirms the Etruscan presence in Rome, in whatever form it may appear. Numerous fragments of bucchero pottery have been found in various parts of Rome, and not only in the center, in the Forum or in Boarium. For example, you can pay attention to the amazing ceramics, made with the technique of fine buccero, discovered near Saint-Jean-de-Latran. However, the discovery of Etruscan or Greek pottery, even in large quantities, is not enough to speak for sure about the Etruscan or Greek presence in Roman territory: one can always assume that it was just an import. But it is also true that this is indicative of active trading activity.
The found Etruscan inscriptions leave no doubt that native speakers of the Etruscan language were present on Roman territory. So, in Rome, about ten inscriptions engraved on bucchero ceramics were found. For example, the name "Uqnus" can be read on a fragment of a buccero from the Forum Boarium, and in this name one can recognize the Latin name Ocnus, who was considered the founder of Bologna (Etruscan Felsina).
But the longest and most revealing Etruscan inscription is engraved on a small ivory figurine of a lion: it was discovered during excavations at Sant Omobono, in the Forum Boarium, in a place of market trade on the banks of the Tiber. On this product of the second half of the 6th century. BC e. three names are engraved - "araz silqetenas spurinas". The first of these is the well-known Etruscan name Arat, and the replacement of the aspirated t by z in the final position is very characteristic of the Roman variant of the Etruscan language. The third name "spurinas" is also very famous and belongs to the aristocratic family of the city of Tarquinia. This surname occurs many times in inscriptions, either in this form or in the form spurinna, more commonly known in Latin. Much later, in the 1st c. n. e., Latin inscriptions give us information about deeds committed, perhaps in the 5th or 4th centuries. BC e. members of the genus Spurinna. One of them took part in an expedition to Sicily, during which the Etruscans helped Alcibiades. This large Etruscan family from Tarquinia did not disappear along with the independence of Etruria: Caesar chose a native of the Spurinna family as his personal haruspex, because an Etruscan of noble origin was needed to fulfill this role. Later, Pliny the Younger was in correspondence with another native of this kind - the military leader Vestritsius Spurinna.
The second word in the inscription from Sant'Omobono, "silqetenas", although it does not remind us of anything at first glance, but by the suffix -nas we can determine that this is a proper name. There was an assumption that this word is somehow connected with a geographical name, in this case - with the city of Sulci in Sardinia. Indeed, the Etruscans had trade relations with this large island, located opposite their main territory. As for the name Arat Spurinna, the study of a small ivory figurine of a lion, of which only one half has come down to us, leads to the conclusion that this object was a kind of “passport”, allowing to identify its owner abroad: the second half of the lion figurine should have been applied to the first, like a banknote torn in half. We know of another example of such an Etruscan "identity card" from Carthage, also frequented by Etruscan merchants who brought there a lot of ceramics. In any case, a small ivory figurine with an inscription from the Forum Boarium perfectly shows that Rome was very interesting for one of the largest Etruscan families.
As for the Tarquinii, it is necessary to quote the last inscription, although it was written in Latin and not in Etruscan. At the bottom of a bucchero-style bowl dating from the last third of the 6th century BC. BC e., the inscription "geh" was made. The exceptional position of the inscription indicated that this object was not used in everyday life, but was intended for a ritual action, possibly related to the priests of the beginning of the Republic. However, one cannot exclude the fact that it could also be about the king himself.
Spurinna was obviously not the only Etruscan in Rome. One of the streets in Rome, located between the temple of the Dioscuri and the Basilica of Julius, is named after them. This narrow street - only 4 meters wide, like all the streets of the Forum - has had a bad reputation since the Republican era, because, according to Plato, it was there that one could meet male prostitutes. But there were also shops for perfumers, and Horace tells us that there was the famous bookshop of the Sosievs. In this street also stood a statue of Vertumna, the god of orchards and fruits, of whom Varro spoke as the chief god of Etruria, and Propertius described him at length in one of his elegies.
The influence of the Etruscans on Roman civilization, according to ancient sources, was numerous and varied - in political, and in religious, and in cultural life. It is enough to read Titus Livius once to realize the scope of urban development work undertaken by the Etruscan kings and, above all, Tarquinius Priscus. The Roman historian distinguishes three major types of work: the drainage of the lowlands and swamps of Rome, the construction of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus and the construction of the Circus Maximus (hippodrome).
As for the first point, already in Antiquity there was a unanimous opinion that the Etruscans were "masters of hydraulics." They installed a whole network of drains and sewer ditches in their cities. Most impressive are the drains of Marzabotto, running along the main axes of the city. The Etruscans also managed to drain the volcanic and impervious soils of Southern Etruria with a network of underground channels. It was in this way that they were able to resist the epidemic of malaria that devastated the environs of Rome, a disease that reappeared again and again until modern times. There can be no doubt about the Etruscan origin of the delightful well in Perugia, which is 37 m deep and 5.6 m wide. After some controversy, it is now believed that the "Ponte Sodo" ("Strong Bridge") in Veii was also Etruscan: this tunnel, dug in tuff , allowed pumping water from the territory of Valchetta, part of the land of which was constantly flooded and, therefore, unsuitable for agriculture.
In Veii and in many other cities of Southern Etruria there is no doubt that the kuniculi, underground channels (1.70 m high and 60 cm wide) through which stagnant water was pumped out from vertical wells, were created in the Etruscan era . It is known that the Romans, during the siege of the Veii, used one of these kuniculi to penetrate the Etruscan city. During the same siege, the Etruscans managed to create a drainage channel from Lake Alben in order to avoid flooding the surrounding territories during the flood. We will not leave the territory of the city of Veii without noting the presence of a huge reservoir of the archaic period on the acropolis of Piazza d "Army, which was in the open air. It should be clarified that tuff in this region was very easy to dig, and it was possible to compare these drainage works with road work: in many cities to the west of Lake Bolsena, the Etruscans dug very picturesque roads in the tufa at a height of many meters.
However, the forum was not the only swampy lowland in Rome. The same problem was in the valley of the Murci, between the Palatine and the Aventine, where a stream flowed. For the construction of the Circus Maximus here, it was necessary to carry out drainage work to bring stagnant water into the Tiber. It was the Etruscans who were able to accomplish this. Titus Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus describe this archaic circus with its wooden stands for the nobility covered with an awning, fully confirmed by the Etruscan frescoes from the Tarquinii. They can be seen in the Tomb of the Chariots (Fig. 14), dated to about 500 BC. e .: spectators sit on high benches, watching various athletic competitions and chariot races (the latter gave the name to this tomb, discovered in the 19th century). In this Etruscan fresco, spectators sometimes appear in places of honor, and one cannot fail to note the motley character of the public, which is characteristic of Rome, at least in the circus. For Ovid, in the era of Augustus, the circus remained an ideal place for attempts at seduction. The Greeks had a different attitude towards athletic and equestrian competitions, and probably the Etruscans were involved in the privileged position that was bestowed on the Roman woman, at least as far as performances are concerned.
The Etruscan influence on Roman games and cultural life was not limited to buildings and equipment alone. The whole program and technical elements of horse racing were the merit of the Etruscans, and all this was already in the era of the kings. And when Tarquinius the Elder, according to Titus Livius, organizes luxurious games in Rome after the victory over the Latin peoples, he orders fist fighters and horses to be brought mainly from Etruria. It is very curious that one of the painted tombs of the Tarquins, the tomb of Olympias (c. 530 BC), seems to illustrate this event: a boxing match and a chariot race are shown on one wall. However, the details are even more revealing: the technique of the Etruscan and Roman charioteers is the same, they tied the reins around the waist in a knot so as not to drop them during the races. A very dangerous falling (breaking) technique, which was not used at all by the Greek charioteers. The equipment of the Etruscan and Roman charioteers is also very similar - a short tunic, different from the long toga worn by their Greek counterparts, in particular the charioteer from Delphi. Naturally, circus performances were not the only ones with an Etruscan imprint: it was believed that stage performances also appeared in Rome with the arrival of the Etruscan histrions, who were mostly dancers. However, this probably took place around 367 BC. e., that is, no longer in the era of the Etruscan kings, as in the case of equestrian competitions.
In a series of large-scale works of Tsar Tarquinius, not the last place was occupied by the construction of the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. The temple, in its impressive size and decoration, was the largest in Central Italy in its era. It has been restored to its full glory thanks to modern excavations carried out as a result of the reconstruction of the Capitoline Museums. It is curious that for a long time the most "Etruscan" feature was that which at present we would rather call "Roman": this temple, dedicated to the triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, is characterized by the presence of a three-nave cella located behind the pronaos, a frontal colonnade. Vitruvius, an architect of the August era, described this triple cella as typical of a Tuscan temple. However, researchers are now well aware that few Etruscan temples have this characteristic. It is found only in the temple of the Belvedere in Orvieto and in temple A in Pirgi (c. 470 BC).
However, the existence of this type of planning in Etruria cannot be denied. Triple elements can also be found in funerary architecture (Cere - the tomb of Armchairs and Shields, the tomb of Greek Vases), as well as in domestic architecture (Aquarossa). As for the Etruscan triads in religion and culture, researchers often want to see them everywhere, even where they may not be. For example, in Poggio Civitat (Murlo), where American archaeologists on terracotta architectonic slabs dreamed of not one, but two whole divine triads: the celestial triad, which included Tinia (Jupiter), Juni (Juno) and Menerva (Minerva), and the chthonic triad , consisting of Ceres, Liber and Libera. As long as this question, architectural and religious at the same time, remains open, it is indisputable that the archaic Roman temple kept the imprint of Etruscan culture in its general layout, podium and, in particular, decoration. The impressive size of the Capitoline Temple of Jupiter proves, by the way, that Rome in the VI century. BC e. in no way inferior to other Etruscan cities. It can be assumed that Rome was not just an Etruscan city, but one of the largest Etruscan cities.
Public and sacred architecture was not the only area where the contribution of the Etruscans was emphasized by tradition. This trend also extended to private dwellings: atriums, widespread in Italian housebuilding, are considered Etruscan in origin. The word itself was compared by Varro with the port of Adria: certainly a well-known toponym, since it gave the name to the Adriatic. It is known that the ancients adored words of fantastic origin, and yet it is strange that the atrium was compared, in general, with a secondary and remote city of Etruria padansky. There is also the concept of "Tuscan atrium", in which there are no columns. The absence in some cases of a central reservoir leads some modern researchers to believe that it was just a covered courtyard, and not a real atrium. At present, a dwelling excavated on the southern slope of the Palatine has given us an excellent example of an aristocratic dwelling with an atrium from the last third of the 6th century BC. BC e.
Cultural influences on Rome by the Etruscans are not limited to this. Many ancient authors considered the symbols of Roman power (insignia imperii) to be Etruscan. Strabo quite definitely writes about this: “They say that the victory symbols, the insignia of the consuls, and in general the insignia of the magistrates were brought to Rome from the Tarquinii, along with fasces, axes, pipes, religious ceremonies, the art of divination and the musical accompaniment of Roman public events” . This list includes a scepter, a curule chair, a purple mantle and one of the most important symbols of power - fasciae (tied bundles of rods, which were originally an indispensable attribute of higher magistrates).
In one of the works of the Latin poet of the III century. BC e. Silius Italicus claims that it was in Vetulonia that the fasciae first appeared. In one of the tombs of the 7th century. BC e., discovered in 1898, a fascia, or its model, was discovered from iron rods and a double ax. This type of ax is very common in Etruria, for example, double-edged axes are found in Tarquinia, and in Vetulonia, on the famous stele, the silhouette of the warrior Abel Feluske is depicted, holding a double ax in his right hand. The Lictor's tomb at Vetulonia seems to confirm the Latin writer's unexpected assertion; but sometimes the reality of this discovery is questioned, because at the time of the discovery of this tomb, there was no real scientific fixation of the finds. By the way, in Etruria almost nowhere were found fasces combining rods and axes, neither among archaeological sources, nor among iconographic ones: each time these two symbols of power were found separately and did not constitute a fascia in the Roman sense. If we ignore the Etruscan influence on Rome, it should be noted that in addition to the above examples, we found many symbols of power in the Etruscan burials proper. We can mention the stunning bronze axes found in the royal burials of Casale Marittimo, near Volterra, and the iconography of funerary frescoes, especially in Tarquinia, often depicts symbols of power, axes, spears, wands, musical instruments and numerous corteges that accompanied the deceased magistrates.
According to one modern theory, the Etruscans were in fact the tutors of the Romans in hoplite tactics, that revolutionary invention in the art of war that put an end to Homeric aristocratic chariot fighting. But special attention is paid to military music, which in Rome was also considered music of Etruscan origin. This concerned the horn and trumpet. The Etruscans knew two types of the latter instrument: a straight trumpet, in Latin "tuba", and a pipe with a bent end and an expanding mouthpiece, which in Latin was called "lituus". A bronze trumpet of this shape was found in Cerveteri. During excavations carried out recently in the most ancient settlement of Tarquinii, on the Civita plateau, in a burial of the beginning of the 7th century. BC e. a very beautiful bronze "lituus" was found, bent three times. It was located on a bronze ax and shield - the totality of objects undoubtedly had a sacred character. The most frequently depicted instrument was undoubtedly the Greek avloi or the Latin tibiae, with two trumpets, which we often translate as flute, since it is a reed instrument closer to the haboe or clarinet. It seems that the list of things that the Etruscans did without musical accompaniment is small, in particular without these "tibiae", as if silence was the rarest occurrence in an Etruscan city! Some Greek authors, including the great Aristotle, for example, stated with surprise (and sometimes with indignation) that the Etruscans made bread, beat and whipped their slaves to music (images confirm the first two activities).
The lack of written and material historical evidence, a significant time period separating modernity from the era of the Etruscans do not yet allow a thorough study of the life of representatives of this civilization, but it is known that the Etruscans had a very noticeable influence on the ancient peoples, and on the modern world.
The rise and fall of the Etruscan civilization
The Etruscans appeared on the Apennine Peninsula in the 9th century BC. and after three centuries they were a developed civilization that could be proud of the high level of craftsmanship, successful agriculture, and the presence of metallurgical production.
Fragment of the frontal wall of an Etruscan burial urnThe civilization of Villanova, the first of the Iron Age cultures in Italy, is considered by a number of scientists to be an early stage in the existence of the Etruscans, while others deny the continuity between the two cultures, recognizing the version of the expulsion of the representatives of Villanova by the Etruscans.
The origin of the Etruscans is one of the questions that have caused controversy among historians since ancient times. So, Herodotus claimed that these people came to the Apennines from Asia Minor - this version is still the most popular.
Herodotus Titus Livy assumed that the homeland of the Etruscans was the Alps, and the people appeared due to the migration of tribes from the north. According to the third version, the Etruscans did not come from anywhere, but always lived in this territory. The fourth version - about the connection of the Etruscans with the Slavic tribes - is currently considered pseudoscientific, despite its popularity.
Interestingly, the Etruscans themselves foresaw the decline and death of their civilization, which they wrote about in their books, later lost.
Etruscan sarcophagus The reasons for the disappearance of the people are called both assimilation with the Romans and the impact of external factors - in particular, malaria, which could be brought to Etruria by travelers from the East and spread thanks to mosquitoes that inhabited the swampy lands of Italy in many.
The Etruscans themselves are silent about their history - their language, despite the rather successful decipherment of the inscriptions on the tombstones, nevertheless continues to remain unsolved.
The interaction of the Etruscans with other peoples
Be that as it may, about a thousand years of the existence of the Etruscan civilization left curious traces. Etruria was located in an exceptionally favorable region in terms of natural resources. Here, building stone, clay, tin, iron were found in abundance, forests grew, coal deposits were explored. The Etruscans, in addition to the high level of development of agriculture and crafts, also succeeded in piracy - they were known as excellent shipbuilders and kept the ships of other tribes at bay. This people is credited, among other things, with the invention of an anchor with a lead crossbar-rod, as well as a copper sea ram.
Fragment of a fresco depicting an Etruscan ship However, the interaction of the Etruscans with the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean did not have the character of confrontations - on the contrary, the inhabitants of Etruria willingly adopted the values of Ancient Greece and the peculiarities of everyday life. It is known that the ancient Greek alphabet was borrowed first by the Etruscans, and from them by the Romans. Despite the fact that scientists cannot yet translate the Etruscan language, it is nevertheless written in Greek letters - as on the tablets from the city of Cortona, discovered in 1992.
Tablets from Cortona with an inscription in the Etruscan language It is believed that a number of words used by modern man are of Etruscan origin. These are, in particular, “person”, “arena”, “antenna” (meaning “mast”), “letter” and even “service” (meaning “slave, servant”).
The Etruscans were great lovers of music - to the sounds of a flute, most often a double one, they cooked, and fought, and went hunting, and even punished slaves, which the Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle writes about with some indignation.
Fresco of the necropolis of the city of Tarquinia depicting a double flute Togas, decorations, construction of cities and circuses
They probably dressed to the music - it is interesting that the famous Roman toga with a purple border traces its history back to the Etruscans. This large piece of cloth, usually made of wool, evolved from the ornamented cloaks of the Etruscan chiefs.
The Etruscans are considered the creators of the Roman toga. Women wore puffy skirts and lace-up bodices, and besides, they were very fond of jewelry - however, like men. Etruscan bracelets, rings, necklaces made of gold have been preserved. Etruscan craftsmen achieved special skill in creating brooches - gold clasps of extremely fine workmanship, which fastened capes.
Etruscan fibula made of gold Special mention deserves the Etruscan art of building cities, which had a great influence on the architecture of Rome and antiquity in general. In the 7th century BC. the phenomenon of Twelve-gradia arose - the union of the largest Etruscan cities, among them Veii, Clusius, Perusia, Vatluna and others. The rest of the cities of Etruria were subordinate to the nearest of those included in the Twelve Cities.
Etruscan city of Volterra The beginning of the construction of the city of the Etruscans began with a symbolic designation of the border - it had to be outlined by a bull and a heifer harnessed to a plow. The city necessarily housed three streets, three gates, three temples - dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, Minerva. The rituals of building Etruscan cities - Etrusco ritu - were adopted by the Romans.
Ancient Roman Appian Way - Via Appia There is also an assumption that the famous ancient Roman roads that still exist today, for example, the Via Appia, were not built without the participation of the Etruscans.
The Etruscans built the largest hippodrome of Ancient Rome - Circus Maximus, or the Great Circus. According to legend, the first chariot races were held by King Tarquinius Priscus, who was from the Etruscan city of Tarquinia in the 6th century BC.
Big Circus - Circus Maximus As for gladiator fights, this ancient tradition originates from the Etruscan culture of sacrifice, when captive warriors were given a chance to survive instead of being sacrificed to the gods.
Fight of gladiators. Roman mosaic The mixing of different cultures, the mutual influence of the worlds of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and Etruria on each other led to the enrichment of the experience of different peoples and at the same time to the loss of the identity of each of them. The Etruscans in the ancient world are one of the most important components, without them the history of mankind would be different.
