1. Et rus c an Art
W l l i am V. Gani s, PhD
i

2. Began arriving about 1200 BCE; by 800
BCE, they had established a
number of city states; by 600 BCE,
they had taken over Rome.
Called themselves the Rasenna, the
Greeks called them Tyrrhenioi;
the
Romans called them the
Etruscans.
Came from eastern Mediterranean,
possibly Asia Minor.
Their land was called Etruria.

6. Etruscan Political System
• Independent, fortified city-states.
• Formed small confederacies.
• Had a strong military that dominated
all the surrounding peoples.
• By 6c BCE, the Etruscan military had
conquered much of the Italian
peninsula,including Rome and the island
of Corsica.

7. Etruscans

8. Etruscan Military
6c BCE Chariot
Bronze Warrior

10. Etruscan Writing
• Most inscriptions found on tombs
and monuments and mirrors.
• We can pronounce Etruscan
words, because they use an
alphabet similar to Greek, but we
have no clue about their meaning.
• Over 10,000 Etruscan inscriptions.

11. Lemnos Stelae – 6c BCE

12. The Etruscan Alphabet

13. Etruscan Writing Tablet

14. Models of Etruscan temples
as described by Vitruvius
ca. 6th century B.C.E.

15. Apulu (Apollo)
from the Portonaccio Temple, Veii, Italy
ca. 510-500 B.C.E.
painted terracotta
71 in. high

16. Apulu (Apollo)
from the Portonaccio Temple, Veii, Italy
ca. 510-500 B.C.E.
painted terracotta
71 in. high

18. Tumulus
from Cerveteri, Italy
7th to 2nd centuries B.C.E.

19. Interior of the tomb of the reliefs
Cerveteri, Italy
3rd century B.C.E.

20. Sarcophagus with reclining couple
from Cerveteri, Italy
ca. 520 B.C.E.
painted terracotta
45 1/2 in. high

21. Sarcophagus with reclining couple
from Cerveteri, Italy
ca. 520 B.C.E.
painted terracotta
45 1/2 in. high

23. Chimera of Arezzo
from the Arezzo, Italy
1st half of 4th century B.C.E.
bronze
31 1/2 in. high

24. Chimera of Arezzo
from the Arezzo, Italy
1st half of 4th century B.C.E.
bronze
31 1/2 in. high

25. The Italian Peninsula
• Separated on three sides called the
“Mare Nostrum” or our sea
• Approximately 1000 km long by 200
km wide
• Separated from the rest of mainland
Europe by the Alps in the north
• Alps served as a formidable
protective barrier from northern
invaders
• The Apennine Mountains ran the
length of the Peninsula, and made
communication and travel

26. The Italian Peninsula Four Growth Factors
• Important rivers included the Po and 1. Mild Climate
Tiber rivers 2. Agricultural prosperity
• Rome itself grew as a small village
along the Tiber R. 3. Seclusion from Europe
• Although generally fertile, rapid 4. Central position in the
growth meant Romans came to rely on Mediterranean
grain imports from Egypt and Sicily.
• Climate is generally mild, though it
can get quite hot in summer.
Founding of Rome
Forerunners of the Romans • According to Livy, there were seven
• Sophisticated people in the kings of Rome
Northeastern portion of the Peninsula • The first was Romulus, allegedly the
• Most information we know is son of Mars, god of war.
collected from burial mounds • Founding myth, Romulus and Remus
• Native to the Peninsula, descended raised by a wolf
from earlier peoples • Discovered by a Shepard on the
• The Etruscans flourished at the same Palantine who raised them
time as the Carthaginians and the • The two eventually challenged each
Greeks other for supremacy over

27. The Kings of Rome
• Etruscan expanded control southward
and absorbed Rome
• First King after Romulus was
Tarquinius, who built the temple of
Jupiter Optimus Maximus
• Urban renewal programs were
enacted under subsequent Kings • There is remarkable similarities
• Last King was Tarquin the Proud,
between Roman & Etruscan worlds
who was overthrown by Partricians in • Numerals, fondness for sport, the
the increasing powerful city of Rome belief in Hades and the underworld,
• The Republic was founded thereafter
the augury and superstition all
inherited on Rome from the Etruscans
• Offices and political traditions like
the use of ivory thrones and purple
robes of the Etruscan royalty adopted
by Romans
• The fasces was an Etruscan axe and
bundle of wooden rods that became a
symbol of power in Rome

29. Capitoline Wolf
from Rome, Italy
ca. 500-480 B.C.E.
bronze
31 1/2 in. high

31. Porta Marzia (Gate of Mars)
Perugia, Italy
2nd century B.C.E.