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IN SHORT (IX-I b.C.)
The
Etruscans were surely the most developed population of Italian peninsula
in IX-VII b.C. They settled in Etruria (actual Tuscany); and thanks to
their technological superiority and commercial skill, they undertook an
expansionistic politics.
From VII to V century the Etruscans increased their borders to North (actual
Emilia Romagna) and to South (actual Campania and Lazio).
In V century the Etruscan domination began to totter: at first attacked
by Greek colonies on the seas, then by the advance of Gaulish
populations from north, and finally by the increasing ambitions of Roman
State from south. Until the I century b.C. the Etruscan cities fought
against the roman domination, but with time the Etruscan culture was
absorbed by the new hegemonic power, so the Etruria became a province of
Roman empire in 7 b.C. |
1. SETTLEMENT IN ETRURIA (IX-VIII sec. b.C.)
2. EXPANSIONISM AND APOGEE (VIII-V sec. a.C.)
3. DECLINE AND ASSIMILATION
IN ROMAN STATE (V-I sec. b.C.)
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According to the legend, the
Etruscan hero Tyrrenus colonized Etruria winning the natives and
creating the Etruscan civilization.
Beyond the legend (which leaves
however the name to the Tyrrhenian Sea and the nickname "Tirreni"
for the Etruscan people). The Etruscans developed their civilization
beginning from the coasts of the present Tuscany to the hinterland,
merging with the local Italic populations, for example the Umbrians.
The Etruscans occupied a territory, which was delimited by the river
Arno in the North and by the river Tevere in the South, founding
several towns, among them: Caere, Vulci, Taquinia, Populonia,
Vetulonia, and so on.
In the IX century b.C. the
Etruscans were surely the most progressive population which occupied
the Italian peninsula. The Etruscans excelled the other coeval
populations in at least three directions:
a) they were the first urban
civilization of the peninsula: they had organised in a sort federal
system among city-states, the so called "League of the twelve
towns" (dodecapolis; a model which would be exported in future
expansions).
b) they developed progressive
technologies for the irrigation and for the the drainage of earth.
Moreover they developed the craftsmanshipboth in military and
domestic field.
c) their cultural level was
exstremely developed, above all in the religious sphera (they had
specific rituals and social roles, building devoted to the worship
and the divinities, which later were assimilated to the Romans’),
the artistic sphere ( in particular in the fields of sculpture, of
painting and of ceramics), finally the architectonic sphere (the
orthogonal plant of towns, tha walls, and so on).
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Stages of the
Etruscan expansion
[the image has been kindly granted by www.castellitoscani.com]
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Thanks to their commercial ability
the Etruscans soon created a demographic, economic and military
basis to extend their influence in the Italian peninsula. After a
stage of expansion in Central Italy (with the foundation of towns
like Volterra, Perugia, Chiusi, Arezzo, and so on) the Etruscans
enlarged their territory in two directions: in the North (in the
present Emilia Romagna as far as Mantova) and in the South (in the
present Campania and in part of Lazio). In both expansions the
Etruscans brought the model of "dodecapolis".
a) SOUTH:
The Etruscan expansion arrived as far as the gulf of Neaples and as
the one of Salerno, conquering also a part of the hinterland of
Campania.. The reference town in these teritories was surely Capua.
Differently from what happened in Campania, the Etruscans presence
in Lazio was instead quite weak, because there were already
relatively autonomous populations, like the Latins, so the Etruscans
made use of Lazio as a passage between Etruria and the expansion in
Campania. Their presence in Rome was however very important: they
settled here the dynasty of Tarquini and exported their technical
and urbanistic knowledges, in order to prepare the foundation of the
future Rome.
b) NORTH:
The expansionism to the present Po plain was motivated by at least
two factors: first the fertility of the territories beyond the
Appennines, then the dangerous presence of Gallic populations. So
the Etruscans decided to cross the Appennines and to ound towns like
Spina, Adria, Mantua (Mantova), but above all Felsina (Bologna) and
Marzabotto, constituting the so called "Po Etruria".
The Etruscan expansionism began to
be hard contrasted by Greek colonies of South Italie (in particular
by Syracusans), who won again and again, by land and by sea, the
Etruscans and Cathage (their ally). So after some decisive defeats
and after massive incursions by the Greek colonies on the Etruscans
coasts, the decline of Etruscan towns began in the V century b.C.
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After the defeats with the Greeks
the Etruscan territory began to be menaced by other two populations
from the North and from the South. In the North the Gallic
population (in particular "Senoni" and "Boi")
drove the Etruscans away little by little from the Po plain, in such
a way as to restore the old natural limit of the Appennnines (above
all the discent of Brenno and the incursions in 390-386 hit hard the
Etruscan towns and Rome). In the South instead the already
indipendent town of Rome was enlarging its expansion, and since the
VI century b.C. the Etruscan towns near Rome fell under its
domination.
Until the II century the Etruscan
towns fell under the Roman domination: they were annexed with a type
of protectoate, which guaranteed a relative autonomy.
Etruria was always a place of
revolts and of rebellions against the Roman state (because the
Etruscan considered themselves an indipendent population); so the
Romans had to found colonies of control, like Saturnia and Florentia
(Florence). The hostilities of the Etruscan populations completely
died out with the birth of the Empire and then Etruria became only
the name of the VII Augustan region (in 7 b.C.)
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