Extent and Decline of Etruscan Civilization
- Etruscan civilization covered what is now Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio
- It also extended to the Po Valley, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto, and Campania
- The Etruscan League consisted of twelve cities, including Veii, Tarquinia, and Volterra
- The league in northern Italy is mentioned in Livy's writings
- The Etruscan territory gradually reduced after 500 BC due to the rising power of the Roman Republic
Nuragic Civilization
- The Nuragic civilization existed in Sardinia during the same time as the Etruscan civilization
- It had advanced architecture, including the construction of nuraghe towers
- The Nuragic people were skilled in metalworking, pottery, and navigation
- Their society was organized into small kingdoms and they had a complex religious belief system
- The Nuragic civilization declined around the 3rd century BC, possibly due to external invasions
Etruscan Civilization
- The Etruscan civilization developed from the Villanovan culture in central Italy
- They had a unique system of writing derived from the Euboean alphabet
- The Etruscan language remains only partly understood
- Etruscan society was organized into individual small cities, with authority residing in prominent families
- Elite Etruscan families grew wealthy through trade with the Celts and Greeks
Magna Graecia
- Magna Graecia refers to the coastal areas of Southern Italy where Greek colonies were established
- The Etruscans had interactions and trade with the Greek colonies in Magna Graecia
- Greek influence can be seen in Etruscan art and architecture during this period
- The Etruscans adopted some Greek customs and religious practices
- Magna Graecia played a significant role in the cultural exchange between the Etruscans and Greeks
Byzantine Reconquest of Italy
- After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Italy was invaded by various Germanic tribes
- The Byzantine Empire, under Emperor Justinian, launched a reconquest of Italy in the 6th century
- The Byzantines successfully regained control of parts of Italy, including Rome and Ravenna
- The Byzantine presence in Italy lasted until the 8th century when they were gradually pushed out by the Lombards
- The Byzantine reconquest had a lasting impact on Italian culture, art, and architecture.
The Etruscan civilization (/ɪˈtrʌskən/ ih-TRUS-kən) was developed by the Etruscans, a people who inhabited Etruria in ancient Italy, with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, roughly what is now Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio, as well as what are now the Po Valley, Emilia-Romagna, south-eastern Lombardy, southern Veneto, and western Campania.
Etruscans 𐌓𐌀𐌔𐌄𐌍𐌍𐌀 Rasenna | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900 BC–27 BC | |||||||||
 Extent of Etruscan civilization and the twelve Etruscan League cities. | |||||||||
| Status | City-states | ||||||||
| Common languages | Etruscan | ||||||||
| Religion | Etruscan | ||||||||
| Government | Chiefdom | ||||||||
| Legislature | Etruscan League | ||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age, Ancient history | ||||||||
| 900 BC | |||||||||
• The last Etruscan cities were formally absorbed by Rome | 27 BC | ||||||||
| Currency | Etruscan coinage (5th century BC onward) | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
The earliest evidence of a culture that is identifiably Etruscan dates from about 900 BC. This is the period of the Iron Age Villanovan culture, considered to be the earliest phase of Etruscan civilization, which itself developed from the previous late Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture in the same region, part of the central European Urnfield culture system. Etruscan civilization dominated Italy until it fell to the expanding Rome beginning in the late 4th century BC as a result of the Roman–Etruscan Wars; Etruscans were granted Roman citizenship in 90 BC, and only in 27 BC was the whole Etruscan territory incorporated into the newly established Roman Empire.
The territorial extent of Etruscan civilization reached its maximum around 750 BC, during the foundational period of the Roman Kingdom. Its culture flourished in three confederacies of cities: that of Etruria (Tuscany, Latium and Umbria), that of the Po Valley with the eastern Alps, and that of Campania. The league in northern Italy is mentioned in Livy. The reduction in Etruscan territory was gradual, but after 500 BC, the political balance of power on the Italian peninsula shifted away from the Etruscans in favor of the rising Roman Republic.
The earliest known examples of Etruscan writing are inscriptions found in southern Etruria that date to around 700 BC. The Etruscans developed a system of writing derived from the Euboean alphabet, which was used in the Magna Graecia (coastal areas located in Southern Italy). The Etruscan language remains only partly understood, making modern understanding of their society and culture heavily dependent on much later and generally disapproving Roman and Greek sources. In the Etruscan political system, authority resided in its individual small cities, and probably in its prominent individual families. At the height of Etruscan power, elite Etruscan families grew very rich through trade with the Celtic world to the north and the Greeks to the south, and they filled their large family tombs with imported luxuries.
