ETRURIA

Speranza

The heartland of ancient ETRURIA was bounded by the RIVER ARNO to the north and the TIBER to the south and east.

In addition to the extraordinarily fertile land, ETRURIA benefited from excellent harbours along the Tyrrhenian coast and great mineral wealth, also available on nearby islands such as ELBA and CORSICA.

ETRUSCAN culture developed from an earlier horizon known as VILLANOVAN, dated to the ninth and eighth centuries B. C.

By about 600 B. C., major cities and artistic centres floureished at such sites as

CERVETERI -- Caere
Tarquinia
Veii
Vulci
Chiusi -- Clusium
Vetulonia
and
Populonia.

The strong political and social order is reflected in the opulence of the material culture, both locally produced and IMPORTED.

Greek works arrived in quantity, as did the Greek alphabet.

The PHOENICIANS' influence emanated from their city at CARTHAGE, and major presence in Sardinia, Sicily, and other parts of the western Mediterranean.

The rich tombs at CAERE and TARQUINIA, for instance, contained ivories, faience, ostrich eggs, and other exotic items from EGYPT, the Near East, and beyond.