Etruscan Population

The Etruscans were an enigmatic race that populated much of Italy between the Po and Tiber rivers. Their origin remains a mystery along with the time of their migration to Italy. It is generally believed that they came from "Lydia" a region south of Troy. Through their art, written language, and religion, many similarities with the Greeks have been made, especially because of the alphabet. A further suggestion is their political closeness to the Carthaginians. Etruscan dominance in Italy lasted barely 300 years. Yet they could pride themselves on having helped lay the foundation for the Roman Empire, which lasted from the defeat of Carthage till the last days of the Caesars in the third century.

From the 8th century BC onwards, the Etruscans were the first known civilization in the now Italian countryside. Without meeting any organized opposition, between the 6th and 7th century BC, the growth of Etruscan influence covered a vast area of the peninsula, from the plain of the Po in the north to Campania in the south.

The Etruscans achieved the peak of their military and commercial strength around the middle of the 6th century when, after having occupied the ports of eastern Corsica, they became the acknowledged masters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. During this phase of territorial expansion, the Etruscans came into conflict with the Carthaginians, their traditional allies, and the Greeks of the colonies of southern Italy. Allies of Carthage, the Etruscans had been able to dominate the Greek colonies in the south of Italy, successfully opposing their expansion both on land and at sea.

From the second half of the 5th century BC onwards however, the situation changed radically. While the Etruscan cities had reached the peak of their economic development, the Greek colonies were undergoing a period of overwhelming cultural and political growth.

The decline of the Etruscans began at sea in 474 BC, when the Greeks of Italy, led by the city of Syracuse, defeated them at Cuma. After this, they lost control over the Tyrrhenian Sea. On land as well, the situation rapidly deteriorated, and in less than a century Etrurian Campania was conquered by local populations, while the Etrurian plain of the Po was invaded by Celts from the northern side of the Alps.

Etruscan Tomb

From the mid 4th century BC, the once flourishing commercial and military power of the Etruscans was reduced to city-states, which retreated into their original territories in central Italy. In the end, they also participated in the final struggle against the newly born Roman power during the 3rd century BC. The proud city-states, lacking a strong national identity, were not able to co-ordinate any real resistance and were defeated one by one.

With the loss of political independence, the cycle of an ancient people who for centuries had been the cultural and economic leaders of the western Mediterranean, came to an end.

ART

Art for the Etruscans was always linked with daily life and had a practical more than an aesthetic purpose. The Etruscans drew the majority of their subjects from Greek art, but they reworked them in more immediate, popular and decorative expressive forms. It aimed at intensity of expression at the cost of deforming natural reality. As far as painting is concerned, it was usually reserved for subjects of religious importance in tombs of important Etruscans at Tarquinia.

Etruscan paintings usually tended to have standard elements, produced by painters who were craftsmen rather than artists. Typical paintings revolved around the human image; the use of solid colors, which fill in areas outlined by thick lines using the fresco technique.

Two distinct periods can be distinguished in Etruscan painting. The first is characterized by realistic events, depicting banquets, games, athletic contests and dances. These are tranquil and pleasant pictures, with decorative elements reconstructing the every day environment.

Etruscan Art

The second period came between the 5th and 6th centuries BC, with a spiritual idea of the soul transcending to the kingdom of the dead. Mythological scenes began to be the dominant theme, with images evoking the world beyond the tomb and the spirits that lived there.

For sculpture as well the discoveries consist of decorative elements of temples or tombs. Etruscan sculpture is closely linked with the modeling of clay. Stone sculptures also show traces of this fundamental technique and Etruscan sculptors preferred working with soft stones.

The Etruscans were famous amongst their contemporaries for their bronze sculptures, which they produced using special casting processes. Although not much has come down to us, only some unique pieces such as the Chimera of Arezzo, the Capitoline she-wolf and the Haranguer, we can get an idea from these of a finely advanced art, which remains a total mystery.

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