7 special features about the Etruscans you did not know

Introduction

When travelling in Umbria and Tuscany you are bound to come across them. In the following please find 7 special features about the Etruscans you did not know.

A brief historical overview

The Etruscans were an ancient people who developed from the previously dominant Villanova culture and lived in what was then Etruria from the 10th – 1st century BC. Etruria included present-day Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. From there, the Etruscans also spread to northern and southern Italy.

The heyday of their rule was in the 6th and 5th centuries BC with the founding of the League of Twelve Cities, which included the neighbouring towns of Chiusi, Cortona, Perugia and Orvieto.

It is said that Etruria did not recover from the Celtic invasion of the Po Valley around the year 380 and was subsequently adapted by Rome.

The rich culture of the Etruscans, i.e. architecture, art, religion and language, shows a strong Greek influence, as the Etruscans maintained intensive contact and close relations with the Greeks.

1. Fashion

Unlike the Greeks, whose style of dress was rather sober, and also quite different from the strict Roman way of dressing, the Etruscans preferred extremely colourful clothing in bright and vibrant shades. The lively and varied Etruscan fashion was characterised by imagination, elegance and attention to detail. The fashions´ character was primarily of an ornamental nature.

For example, the tunic and cloak worn by Etruscan men were always very colourful and decorated with gold and diamond patterns; the cut of these cloaks was rounded. In addition the Etruscan fashion look was often white, and white stood for elegance.

In the Archaeological Museum of Florence, you can learn a lot about Etruscan shoe fashion, from curious pointed boots (worn by men and women), a wide variety of shoes with and without toes, often fastened with laces, to summer sandals.

Incidentally, archaeological finds show that the Etruscans were humans of small stature: women on average measured only one metre and fifty-five, men one metre and sixty.

2. Women

Believe it or not: Etruscan women and men were of equal rights!

It is known that women were cheerful, emancipated and payed attention to their appearance. They took care of their bodies, wore make-up, their long hair was praised into two long plaits and they even did gymnastics. Just like the men did they also took part in lavish eating and drinking parties and were considered hard-drinking. 

Unlike Greek and Roman women, they actively participated in society as priestesses, wives and mothers and spent a lot of time outside their homes. Women were equal to men in every respect!

3. Everyday artefacts

In the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria in Perugia or in the Etruscan Museum in Chiusi (which is considered particularly worth seeing) you can admire objects from the everyday life of the Etruscans that we still use today: Jewellery, hair clips and mirrors; umbrellas that were used as sunshades during ceremonies; plates, cups and carafes; even dentures; a cooker that could be heated with embers and was used for cooking in terracotta pots; of course lots of coins; sculptures, vases and funerary urns. Here you can easily imagine Etruscan customs and traditions of that time to understand their sense of life and death.

Here you can find informations on the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria in Perugia:

https://www.umbriatourism.it/en/-/national-archaeological-museum-perugia

https://www.musei.umbria.beniculturali.it/musei/museo-archeologico-nazionale-dellumbria/

And for the Etruscan Museum of Chiusi please check here:

https://www.visittuscany.com/en/attractions/national-etruscan-museum-in-chiusi/

4.Etruscan wine

Anyone interested in Etruscan wine should visit the Rocca di Frassinello winery in Gavorrano (province of Grosseto).

 https://www.castellare.it/en/rocca-di-frassinello/rocca-di-frassinello-and-the-etruscans/
There you can see devices and tools that were used to make and store wine in those days. 

Since the 7th century BC, Etruria exported wine as far as the south of France.

Wine was also important in the lavish banquets that were used in politics to keep the relationships to the princely clans under control. To demonstrate one’s wealth, wine was traditionally prepared and served at the end of a banquet. 

The recipe for this wine included ingredients such as flowers, spices and plant extracts, which were then diluted with water. And … you wouldn’t believe it … grated cheese was added on top (no joke!).

5. The largest iron deposit and processing in the western Mediterranean

Etruria had the largest iron deposit and processing in the western Mediterranean, and it seems that the Etruscans were excellent at exploiting this valuable resource. Incredible quantities of iron ore imported from Elba were smelted in the city of Populonia, which was only rediscovered when the slag in the area was removed during the First World War.

6. Vulca, the only Etruscan artist

The Etruscan sculptor Vulca was born in Veji and is the only artist whose name has come down to us. He created the statue of Apollo of Veji in the 6th century BC. This sculpture is now located in the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome.

For more informations: https://www.museoetru.it/en#

7. The Etruscan language

There are practically only fragments of the Etruscan language (grave or votive inscriptions). The writing of which has been deciphered and is legible, but as to date there have not been discovered any historical reports, stories, annals or other writings, access to the Etruscan language remains difficult. 

Valuable documents such as the Cortona Tablets prove that the Etruscans wrote with Greek letters from right to left.

It is known that the language idiom is unique in the world, essential elements of phonetics and grammar are also known, but with a painstakingly researched root vocabulary of only 200 words, a language cannot be clearly defined.

If you want to find out more about the beautiful hilltop town of Cortona and its Etruscan origins… it is just a stone’s throw away from Casa Lauretana. Please check here:

https://casalauretana.com/en/backstage-tour-through-cortona/