The Etruscans: A Captivating Guide to the Etruscan Civilization of Ancient Italy That Preceded the Roman Republic

The importance of the Etruscans can be traced back to Rome. The Roman Republic, and later the Roman Empire, was an unusual conqueror because it would absorb and assimilate elements of the cultures it dominated. A standing practice was to allow the defeated to continue practicing their culture and religion so long as they paid their taxes on time. Such a procedure was part of why Christianity would seep into the Roman Empire around the 1st century CE, for example. For the Etruscans, this meant they influenced aspects of Roman civilization, one of the most powerful cultures in the history of the Western world.

The word "Rome" is Etruscan in origin as are the names of its mythological founders "Remus" and "Romulus." Several of the Roman creation myths centered on branches of the Etruscans breaking off to found Rome, and Rome itself used to be a part of Etruscan civilization before it broke away and started to develop its own society. When the Etruscans were absorbed, elements of their culture, language, and religion would seep into Roman practice. Before their assimilation, the Etruscans gifted Rome with much of its political science and technology. Through the Etruscans, the Romans developed monarchy, walls, drainage systems, and the powerful forum.

The Etruscans shouldn't only be studied as the influencer of Rome, but it is the connection through which most individuals have heard of their illustrious civilization. Other interesting developments of the Etruscans were their flamboyant fashion, complex political structure, urban planning, and fatalistic religion. As the reader of this volume, check and see where the Etruscans sound similar to the Romans but also interpret what made the Etruscans unique, what rings of assimilation of other cultures like the Greeks, and determine whether it was possible for the Etruscans to avoid their fate against the Romans during the 1st century BCE.

In The Etruscans: A Captivating Guide to the Etruscan Civilization of Ancient Italy That Preceded the Roman Republic, you will discover topics such as:

• Politics, Government, and Social Structure
• How an Individual Lived
• The Origin of the Etruscans
• The Etruscan Orientation, c. 600-400 BCE
• The Roman Conquest, c. 400-20 BCE
• Mythology and Religion
• Art and Music
• The Etruscan Language and Writing
• Architecture
• Surviving Text and Literature
• And much, much more!