Ancient Etruria II: Civilization without empire

ETRURIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization

"In the eighth century BC, time of westward expansion, Phoenicians going west, Greeks going west, founding colonies. When the Greeks sailed into Italy, they found something they didn't expect. An advanced civilization already there." --Professor Richard E. Prior, Ancient Historian, Furman University, South Carolina, from the documentary 'Rome: Power & Glory'

As has been stated here before, the perception is that Rome more-or-less came from the Greeks. The truth is a lot different. As the above quote reflects, the Etruscans were trendsetters on thier own. That doesn't mean that, in many ways, the Greeks weren't the forerunners of what later became Western civilization. However, in most areas of human endeavor, the Etruscans were the equal to the Greeks. They apparently were not looking to expand, as they already were in a virtual Garden of Eden. They were not sea faring people. They conducted a lot of land trading, with the north mostly, it appears.

After the Romans shattered the Etruscans, as the victors always do, they rewrote the history. Until fairly recently, the Etruscans didn't even exist in the history books. Now we know that the Romans took Etruscan technology and began to form their plan for an empire. They leveled the vast majority of what had been Etruscan.


[Music: 'Hazelwood' by Silver On The Tree]

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Etruria
• Etruscan
• Etruscans
• Toscana
• Tuscany
• pre-Roman
• civilization
• ancient
• history
• Tuscia

[sophiah88]

Rome began to enforce the subjugation of women so to divide the bonds of intimacy that made the Etruscans and other older peoples so powerful

This paved the way for Roman control of all others. SEXISM defining women down and unequal to sit with men, be educated, own property, enjoy sex openly. PATRIARCHY was becoming the norm, an unbalanced society that eventually leads to depravity, dissoultion, despotism.

what is now accepted as " the way things are" but nevertheless totally unnatural.

[pamle1]

@sophiah88 I think the Roman period began an era of nihilism, which has continued to this day.

[sophiah88]

@pamle1 I think the Roman period began an era of nihilism

* True. If they had been able to embrace the total Etruscan system then Pagan Rome would be extant and modeling much the same as NS and many neolithic societies that were able to live peaceable among tribes while trading & where disputes arose that could not be settled by Elder Councils of every side then holding martial arts meets pitting the combatantschampions vs each other to divine a final solution. But alas Rome was infected. :(

[pamle1]

@sophiah88 Most of the pre-Roman/Christian pagan religions in Europe, and some other places, revered certain women in important leadership roles. They seem to often possess a natural ability to provide spiritual leadership, and provided balance to these societies. Some of that spirituality (men=law & women=justice) made it's way into the periphery of Christianity, but it was a far cry of what it was.

[Soveraine]

@sophiah88 Also you forgot the say, that the romans stole the letters / runes from the Etruscan's Galloceltic script.

Evidence of this is the Venetian language, and it's original pre-roman script, which gauls also understood, and romans only imitated with their false language.

[CrazyNative4]

what's this music? it's so cool !

[TheBasqueLand]

etruscans were basques n its proven..