What is three examples how the Etuscans influenced early rome?

Answer 1

The extent of Etruscan influence on early Rome is difficult to ascertain because of a dearth of archaeological evidence. This is because Rome was continually redeveloped over the centuries and there is very little left from her early days. The Etruscan civilisation decayed and disappeared by the 1st century BC. Even the Etruscan language disappeared and only a tiny amount of writing in Etruscan has survived.

The Romans said that some of their divinities and religious rituals were of Etruscan origin. They also said that the fifth king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus, introduced some Etruscan ceremonial customs, such as the toga of the king, the toga of some officials and some priests, the lictors who protected the king and the fasces they used, and the use of the Etruscan golden chariot for triumphs. Archaeologist have found that some of the early tiles made by the Romans were made in a style from the nearby Etruscan city of Veii, while some had a style which came from a Latin city south of Rome and was influenced by the Greeks.

The fashionable theory that the Etruscans conquered Rome is just that, a theory. Its evidence base is flimsy to say the least and it is based on unproven assumptions. It has been challenged. Recent archaeological evidence from the area of ancient Latium (land of the Latins) suggests a different picture which does not fit with this theory in quite a number of ways. Among these is the fact that the Latins were influenced as much by the Greek city of Capua (near Naples, just 125 miles south of Rome) as by the Etruscans. This theory tended to assume that everything about early Rome was down to the Etruscans. It was said that the famous statue of the Capitoline she-wolf was Etruscan. It is now scientifically proven that it was made in the Middle Ages. It was argued that the gladiatorial fights originated from Etruria. It has now been shown that they originated from Campania as the ancient Roman historian Livy said.

Answer 2

It is difficult to ascertain the actual extent of Etruscan influence on Rome. The fashionable theory that the Etruscans conquered or dominated Rome, or that the urban development of Rome in the 5th century BC was due to the Etruscans has been challenged. The evidence base of this theory is flimsy and it is based on unproven assumptions. Recent archaeological evidence suggests a different picture. Moreover, the Etruscan civilisation disappeared quite early and very little Etruscan writing, which has not been fully deciphered, has survived. There are very little archaeological finds in the city of Rome because the Etruscans had an influence in the archaic (early) days of Rome and ancient Rome was continually redeveloped over the many centuries of its history.

The Etruscans were one of the various peoples who had some influence on Roman religion. Early Roman architecture might have been influenced by the Etruscans as well as the Greeks. However, if this was the case, the Etruscan order (style) was soon abandoned. The Roman preferred the Greek orders because the Etruscan one was unadorned and rustic. The Romans said that the Etruscans had some influence on the early development of their religion.

According to the Roman tradition, the 5th king of Rome who was half Greek and half Etruscan, introduced:

• The celebration of triumphs in Etruscan style

• The golden chariot of the king

• The fasces, a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe sticking out in the middle. This was used by the lictors, the guards of the consuls and the praetor. They were also a symbol of the power and authority of the consuls and the praetor.

• The clothes worn by people in positions of authority. The trabea, the robe worn by the king and then the consuls and priests during public ceremonies. The toga praetexta, the robe worn by higher officers of state and the curule chair they sat on as a symbol of their authority. The paludamnetum, a cloak worn by generals and their higher officers when commanding an army (but not during peace).

• The falera, round ornamental metal disks for helmets, armour and harness of horses.