Of all civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean, it is perhaps the
Etruscans who hold the greatest allure. This is fundamentally because,
unlike their Greek and Latin neighbours, the Etruscans left no textual
sources to posterity. The only direct evidence for studying them and for
understanding their culture is the archaeological, and to a much lesser
extent, epigraphic record. The Etruscans must therefore be approached as
if they were a prehistoric people; and the enormous wealth of Etruscan
visual and material culture must speak for them. Yet they offer
glimpses, in the record left by Greek and Roman authors, that they were
literate and far from primordial: indeed, that their written histories
were greatly admired by the Romans themselves.
Applying fresh archaeological discoveries and new insights, A Short
History of the Etruscans engagingly conducts the reader through the
birth, growth and demise of this fascinating and enigmatic ancient
people, whose nemesis was the growing power of Rome. Exploring the
'discovery' of the Etruscans from the Renaissance onwards, Corinna Riva
discusses the mysterious Etruscan language, which long remained wholly
indecipherable; the Etruscan landscape; the 6th-century growth of
Etruscan cities and Mediterranean trade. Close attention is also paid to
religion and ritual; sanctuaries and monumental grave sites; and the
fatal incorporation of Etruria into Rome's political orbit.
