Etruscans Study Notes

Etruscans Overview

• Ancient civilization located in Etruria (modern-day Italy).

Geographic Regions

• Notable cities:

  • Tarquinii

  • Caere (Cerveteri)

  • Vulci

  • Veii

  • Marzabotto

  • Aquileia

• Major water bodies:

  • Padus (Po River)

  • Arnus (Arno River)

  • Tyrrhenum Mare (Tyrrhenian Sea)

Etruscan Chronology

• Villanovan Period: 9th c. BCE

• Periods of development:

  • Orientalizing: 700-600 BCE

  • Arcaic: 600-480 BCE

  • Classical & Hellenistic: 480-89 BCE

Deities and Mythology

• Important gods:

  • Tinia (Jupiter)

  • Uni (Juno)

  • Menrva (Minerva)

  • Apulu (Apollo)

  • Artumes (Artemis)

  • Hercle (Herakles)

Architecture

• Temple structures:

  • Constructed primarily of mudbrick

• Notable temples:

  • Temple of Apollo, Veii (Late 6th c. BCE)

• Etruscan houses and burial structures influenced later Roman architecture.

Burial Practices

• Common funeral items:

  • Hut-shaped urns: c. 900-850 BCE

  • House-shaped urns: c. 650-625 BCE

  • Canopic urns: 6th c. BCE

• Sarcophagus of the Spouses: c. 520 BCE, painted terracotta, indicative of societal norms regarding death and the afterlife

Necropoleis

• Significant sites:

  • Cerveteri: large burial mounds and tombs

  • Tarquinia: extensive wall paintings in tombs

• Examples of tombs:

  • Tomb of the Shields and Chairs: c. 550-500 BCE

  • Tomb of the Augurs: c. 520 BCE

  • Tomb of the Leopards: c. 480 BCEnificant cities

Artifacts

• Regolini-Galassi Tomb:

  • Contains gold jewelry, fibulae, and bronze funerary items illustrating elite Etruscan burial customs.

• Statues and bronze artifacts reflect Etruscan craftsmanship.