The Etruscans

How Rome Began

Nearly 3000 years ago, a tribe of people called the Latins lived in a small village on the Tiber River. This village grew to become the famous city of Rome.  

Around 900 BCE, a mysterious group of people arrived on the Italian peninsula. Nobody knows where they come from, but archaeologists believe they probably arrived from Asia Minor. 

The Etruscans must have known the Greeks. Their alphabet was based on the Greek alphabet. Their gods looked like humans, just like the Greek gods. But the Etruscans were not Greeks. From the artifacts they left behind, scientists are fairly certain that in the Etruscan culture, women and men were fairly equal in status. That was certainly not the Greek way of life. 

The Etruscans organized their towns into city-states, each ruled by a king. The city-states worked together in a league - the Etruscan League. The league began to trade with people in the east and people along the African coastline. Their trade routes included the tiny village on the Tiber River. Even in very early times, Rome was a busy place. The early Romans (the Latins) learned a great deal from the Etruscan traders.  

While the Etruscans were building their own civilization, the city of Rome grew more powerful. Soon, Rome was a center of trade and commerce. Some of Rome's early kings were Etruscans.   

The Mysterious Etruscans

The Etruscans

Etruscan Culture (wjcc schools) 

Etruscan Art (powerpoint) 

Horatius at the Bridge (Rome for kids) 

The Mysterious Etruscans

Map of the Etruscan League at the height of its power