Who knows the Etruscans?

**snevets** · 10-14-2005, 03:20

Who knows the Etruscans?

Not me, at least not very well, but an unspecified mod they are a necessary part of needs historical advice:

How accurate is this symbol for the Etruscans (its the Chimera of Arezzo, loosely copied into a faction icon by me)?

Would anyone against this icon please pm me or post here as to why and hopefully what you think would be better?

If you have any other specific knowledge of the Etruscans (ie unit recommendations, flags, city names, family fames) please do the same,

Thank you for your help in advance.

**Rosacrux redux** · 10-14-2005, 07:16

A very interesting site about Etruscans is Mysterious Etruscans

It's quite comprehensive and has loads of data. Albeit, some of the stuff posted smells of yet another "my ancestors are soooo great", it has all possible data available or links to it.
If you want to find about Etruscan habits, possibly military units and such, I fear you'll have a difficult time...

**Rosacrux redux** · 10-14-2005, 09:18

GC, I fear your data is not very precise. Etruscans were one of the 3 main "groups" forming what later became the city of rome, and the first line of Rome's kings (before Rome went Republic) were Etruscan. Etruscan had adopted hoplite warfare from the Greeks (as they had adopted the Chalkidean Greek alphabet from Chalkidean settlers in the wider area of Latium) but little more is known about their ways in warfare.

The Asia Minor origin of the Etruscans hypothesis is a rather flawed one, and anything like such a move should've occured before the 1400s, since the Etrurian culture seems uninterrupted in Tuscany from the 1300s and on.

There is though a rather large probability of the Myth of Aeneas (of Troy) to originate from the Etruscans - the Romans themselves adopted it later on to find some "noble ancestry" for themselves.

**KingOfTheIsles** · 10-14-2005, 10:24

Rome's maniple system of warfare almost certainly came from contact with the Samnites who used a similar system of sword/pilum infantry and the Etruscans were most certainly using the Hoplite system, and are described as being very influenced by the Greeks.

**Kraxis** · 10-14-2005, 13:45

Originally Posted by KingOfTheIsles

Rome's maniple system of warfare almost certainly came from contact with the Samnites who used a similar system of sword/pilum infantry and the Etruscans were most certainly using the Hoplite system, and are described as being very influenced by the Greeks.

Indeed... The Etruscans were lowland people like the Greeks, thus hoplites made sense as they would fight over the arable land, and just let the hillpeople keep their pastures.
The Samnites were a hillpeople that could not use the hoplite for much as he was too slow and easily defeated when alone. A lighter soldier in a more flexible formation was the answer.

The Samnite Duplex Acies, contained only two lines (as the observant reader will notice from the name), the first line was heavy javelineers (large tower shield, light armour, heavy javelins and sword), sounds very much like Hastati eh? These were not meant to win the battle per se, though if they did it was good and fine. They used their javelins and then charged in to take advantage of the disruption. Against a phalanx it would be quite effective.
The other line was of heavier spearmen, meant to take the fight to the enemy. Sounds pretty much like the early Principes. When thefirst line had disrupted the enemy lines but failed in breaking them, these guys would take full advantage of it.

The effectiveness of this must have impressed the Romans to a great degree.

**The Stranger** · 10-14-2005, 16:41

they were really weird...i'll dig up some things for you

**caesar44** · 10-14-2005, 17:01

[QUOTE=Rosacrux redux]and the first line of Rome's kings (before Rome went Republic) were Etruscan.

No , I think you meant that it was the second line . "The first line" - Romulus came from Alba Longa , a Latin town , Titus Tatius was Sabine , Numa Pompilius was Sabine and Tatius's son in low , Tullus Hostilius's father came from Medulia , a Latin town , Hostilius was the son of Hersilia , Romulus's widdow and Ancus Marcius was Numa Pompilius's grandson . not Etruscans .

**The Stranger** · 10-14-2005, 18:36

the last 4 kings were etruscan...

but nobody knew where th estruscans came from...if they were the original inhabitants...prolly not....they just appeared...

**Kraxis** · 10-14-2005, 20:06

Well wasn't one those last one 'just' a Roman that was married into the Etruscan ruling family?

**snevets** · 10-14-2005, 21:13

I'm very pleased with the responses to this topic, although no one has answered my main question concerning the icon's historical accuracy. The other information, concerning the hoplite warfare is very good. There have been many theories surrounding the Etruscans its true, and much of the reason the Etruscans were able to spread out across Northern Italy, just like the Carthaginians with the sea, was because of the distraction of the Greeks with Persia, where the Greeks simply couldn't afford to be anything but amiable and helpful in supplying technology. I would agree that the theory of the Etruscans coming from Lydia is slightly flawed, I believe it was written by Herodotus but I'm not entirely sure. Another theory suggests their haphazardly placed culture among mainly Galicly influenced tribes in Italia on account of stemming from the Sea People (mentioned by the Phonecians and Egyptians), although this seems shakey as well. It is an unfortunate tendency of many historians to group and associate unknowns with eachother which may have no connection whatsoever, but that is the nature of history generally as we can only logically guess on most topics. As to their autogeny in Italy, I would say it is the most likely, an explanation of their culture coming from perhaps the colonies established by phonecia (and later Carthage and Greece), who perhaps traded their culture with them as well as goods.
The Etruscans were unlike anyone else in Italy at the time. I would say their military structure barely influenced the Romans in anything but aesthetics, as their main forms of combat were 4 horse chariots instead of cavalry (their horses were, like the early Greeks, likely too small to be riden practically) and hoplite warfare adopted from their neighbors. The later Carthagian alliance with the Etruscans also brought military technology, as there were some spearman tactics employed by the Etruscans not used by hoplites, ie drilling to break phalanxes to loose formations quickly to counter chariots.
To those who said they would look for sources, I'm very happy to have the information and to be corrected. Once again if anyone finds an icon they feel would be more appropriate than the chimera please post here or contact me.

**Quietus** · 10-15-2005, 15:39

Snevets,

Probably, the bronze wolf figure associated with the Romans. It was Etruscan and the Remus and Romulus was only added by the Romans/Italians.

edit: here's a link.

She-Wolf