Transcript The Etruscans

The Etruscans
Forefathers of
the Roman Republic
Geography
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
difficult
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Geography
The Italian Peninsula
• Important rivers included the Po
and Tiber rivers
• Rome itself grew as a small
village along the Tiber R.
• Although generally fertile, rapid
growth meant Romans came to
rely on grain imports from Egypt
and Sicily.
• Climate is generally mild,
though it can get quite hot in
summer.
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Four Growth Factors
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mild Climate
Agricultural prosperity
Seclusion from Europe
Central position in the
Mediterranean
The Etruscans
Forerunners of the Romans
• Sophisticated people in the
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Bronze Etruscan Helmet
Northeastern portion of the
Peninsula
• Most information we know is
collected from burial mounds
• Native to the Peninsula,
descended from earlier peoples
• The Etruscans flourished at the
same time as the Carthaginians
and the Greeks
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Etruscan Chariot
The Etruscans
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Sculpture of Etruscan Nobles
The Etruscan Monarchy
Founding of Rome
• According to Livy, there were
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Etruscan statue wolf
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seven kings of Rome
• The first was Romulus, allegedly
the son of Mars, god of war.
• Founding myth, Romulus and
Remus raised by a wolf
• Discovered by a Shepard on the
Palantine who raised them
• The two eventually challenged
each other for supremacy over
Rome, and Romulus won.
Myth of Rome Founding
The Etruscan Monarchy
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
• Last King was Tarquin the Proud,
who was overthrown by
Partricians in the increasing
powerful city of Rome
• The Republic was founded
thereafter
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The infamous rape of Roman noble woman
Lucretia, which led to the founding of the Republic
Etruscan influence
• There is remarkable similarities between Roman & Etruscan worlds
• Numerals, fondness for sport, the belief in Hades and the underworld,
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
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