💚 Etruscans to the Roman Empire The Etruscans were a vibrant civilization that flourished in North central Italy from about 750 BCE until their gradual absorption into the Latin-speaking culture of the Roman republic around 100 BCE. While the Etruscans worshiped many of the same gods as the Greeks and the Romans, their lively art and the other records they left behind reveal that theirs was a distinctly unique culture within the Greco-Roman strata. Much of what is known about the Etruscans was learned from exploring their tombs. They invested in the afterlife almost to the same extent that the Egyptians did. However, while Egyptian funerary art is stiff and formal suggesting that the afterlife was for them a somber and serious affair, Etruscan funerary art is lively and even humorous as suggested by this toy- like terracotta funerary urn featuring moving arms. Etruscan funerary architecture is modeled after the architecture that living Etruscan people inhabited. Carved out of a porous volcanic stone called tufa, Etruscan cemeteries Cerveteri provide the only record of what Etruscan houses would have been like. The extensive cemetery at Cerveteri is a necropolis, or city of the dead. Some of the tombs at Cerveteri are carved into the sides of cliffs and are square in share, while others, known as tholi, are free standing and round in shape. The tomb interiors are decorated with fresco vero paintings. In some instances the frescos depict utilitarian household objects, while in others they depict religious ceremonies, or scenes from nature. Etruscans to the Roman Empire 1 Etruscans painted frescoes in the vero style invented by the Minoans applying the paint to the wall while the plaster was still wet. The style and the themes of nature also bear much in common with Minoan painting. There are some other similarities between these two cultures, such as the fact that both societies valued women as equal members of society, both were known for their maritime skills, their high quality ceramics, and bronze suggesting to many scholars that the Etruscans descended from a group of Minoans who relocated to Tuscany. The life size terracotta sarcophagus from Cerveteri depicting a man and a woman sharing a banquet couch is probably the most important Etruscan artifact. One might have expected archeologists to find a mummy inside this sarcophagus, but like the Greeks, Minoans, and Romans, the Etruscans cremated their dead. While it is impossible to know, I like to think that the intermingled ashes of both the woman and the man were placed in this sarcophagus. The fact that a woman and a man were sharing a banquet couch reveals a very different understanding of gender roles than classical Greek society. In fact, not only were Etruscan women included at symposia, they were also educated, participated in politics, owned property, retained their maiden names after marriage, and Occasionally even ruled as monarchs of their city states. The sarcophagus depicts a couple that is clearly enjoying each others company on equal terms and is also using lively hand gestures to help express themselves in a manner similar to modern day Italians Ancient Rome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ZXl-V4qwY 800-753BC, Rome founded by Romulus roman republic , conquest of alexander punic wars, rome against carthage for dominion or mediterrainean assassination of julius ceasar 44bc octavian/augustus as emperor27bc tiberius 14-37ce, a tyrant caligula 37-41ce, madman tyrant claudius 41-54ce, a good emperor, but married his niece, dangeous woman, nero from prev marriage, poisoned claudius Etruscans to the Roman Empire 2 nero, mad king , 54-68 ce-enemy of state, runs away and commits suicide. year of four emperors 68-69 ce. power tussel vespasian, 69-79ce, wins hear t of people on return titus , son of vespasian 79-81ce. colosseum constructuin, public structure domitian 81-96 ce nerva, adopted son of domitian 96-98ce Trajan, 98-117 ce, public structures, market places, libraries, temple Hadrian, architect himself, 117-138ce made free standing dome pantheon antoninus pious 138-161 marcus aurelius , stoic philosphy 161-180 commodus 180-192ce, killed in battle severus, septum severus, spanish 192-211 caracalla, killed his own brother to get throne macrinus heliogablus severus alexander solider emperors 235-284 AD instability in rome diocletian. 284-305 tetrarchy, 4 territories, 4 emperors the tetrarchy 293-324 AD constantine 306-337AD first Christian Emperor , given the title of Augustus 📎 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8d31bn Etruscans to the Roman Empire 3
