The Mysterious Etruscans

De: Steven L. Tuck, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Steven L. Tuck

How much do you know about the Etruscans? Many people, even those who are fascinated by ancient history, are less familiar with this intriguing culture than with the history of Greece and Rome - but the story of the Etruscans is equally captivating and far more important than you may have known. This ancient civilization prospered in the region of modern-day Tuscany, maintaining extensive trade networks, building impressive fortified cities, making exquisite art, and creating a culture that, while deeply connected to the Greeks and Romans, had striking contrasts.

The Etruscans were the original inhabitants of central Italy. Centuries before Rome's rise, they built cities such as Pompeii, Capua, and Orvieto along fortified hilltops. They developed a system of roads and invented what we call the Roman arch. While they had their own system of government, their own myths and legends, and their own cultural attributes, the Etruscans imported and repurposed much from the Greeks - and, in turn, gave much to the Romans. You might be surprised to find out how much of Roman civilization - from togas to bronze military armor to Rome itself - actually has Etruscan origins. The Etruscans are largely responsible for:

• transmitting the alphabet to the Romans and other ancient societies as far away as the Nordic regions
• granting Rome much of its celebrated architecture and infrastructure, from the Cloaca Maxima water-control system to the storied arch
• developing exquisite works of bronze and terra-cotta, as well as mesmerizing tomb paintings
• creating well-known symbols of republican government, imagery that still lives on in US government buildings like the Lincoln Memorial

Without the Etruscans, much of what we associate with the Roman world, and thus the foundations of Western civilization, would largely disappear.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Great Courses (P)2016 The Teaching Company, LLC

Loved it

Outstanding. Loved it. Always curious about these folks. History channel does not give them justice.

Giving Them Their Due

With very limited materials, the professor paints an often fascinating picture of the enormous but often overlooked influence on Mediterranean civilization. Not merely conduits for Greek influence or an also ran with Rome for control of Italy, the Etruscans shaped nearly every facet of what we have come to think of as Roman Civilization. From religion, to art, to military equipment and architecture, the Etruscans made unique and indispensable contributions. Give these lectures a chance and watch a solid historian at work changing the way you see the ancient world. Highly recommended.

new info counter to my “classical” education

good voice, good info. Etruscans definitely worth listening to round out understanding of western cultural origins

Truly excellent

Surprisingly to me this is one of the most interesting and enjoyable of the Great Courses that I have listened to to date!

Fascinating history and good lectures

Where does The Mysterious Etruscans rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's among the best three or so of the Great Courses.

What about Professor Steven L. Tuck’s performance did you like?

He is truly fascinated by the Etruscans and manages to convey the enthusiasm to the listener, I think.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

At times I was impressed.

Totally Dug It!

This is a must have for history buffs. Eventually, what's argued here will be standard material!

Very Interesting

I learned so much about this "minor" culture. (Textbooks are lame.) I hope to find more books on this topic.

And before Rome, there was...

There was another ancient civilization in Italy before the Romans, one that prospered in the region of modern-day Tuscany. We know much less about the Etruscans, partly because their civilization was already old when Rome was a small village but also because of how Rome conquered, not normally by destroying those that they conquered (though that sometimes did happen), but by absorbing them. That was especially true in Italy. But, before the Romans, the Etruscans had already developed extensive trade networks and built very impressive fortified cities. They developed much of the engineering that Rome later made such good use of, including arches and aqueducts. They made very exquisite art and developed a culture that was strikingly different from both the Greeks and Romans whom they developed close ties to.

One sharp contrast was in the place of women. In Etruscan society, women were able to have a much more open role, could go outside the home without a male escort, and dined (and partied) with men. They were able to conduct business and could have their own names (Roman daughters were given a feminine version of their father’s name and numbered, like Pauline I, Pauline II, etc.).

I mentioned the structural arch and aqueducts, but the system of paved roads was borrowed from the Estrucans, as well as togas, their methods of divination from examining the flights of birds and sacrificial animals entrails, and other religious practices. Even the word "Rome" comes from 'Rumon', the Etruscan word for the Tiber river. The Etruscans had a form of democracy in which leaders were elected by a group of nobles and Rome developed their Republican form of government from this foundation. 

There seemed to be a couple times where he was overreaching and exaggerating a bit. I understand that the evidence is limited, so we have to guess and surmise quite a bit, but sometimes it just seemed taken a tad too far (No, the Romans would not have been going around in fig leafs if the Etruscans hadn't given them togas). But I shouldn't overemphasize the fact. It doesn't detract (too much) from the overall story of the Etruscans.

But, it was not just Rome that owes a debt to the Etruscans. The runes of old European languages were borrowed from Etruscans and were adapted and remained in use until they were gradually replaced by the Latin alphabet, but some of those hung on until just a few centuries ago. It was the Etruscans who passed the concept of a family surname down to the rest of Europe and the concept of family beyond the household. 

But, the Etruscans were not interested in an empire. They were a confederation of city-states with no obligation to come to each other’s aid and that left them open to Roman conquest. Even when they defeated Roman armies, they stopped at the victory and didn’t take advantage of them to retain any authority or tribute. Slowly the culture was absorbed into Roman culture though some distinctions remained and can be still seen in parts of northern Italy. 

What we know of them is fascinating but limited. This is a series of lectures, and not a book. Overally they were quite good and Professor Tusk is able to put a lot together. However, at times he goes a bit too far and makes conclusions that have support but are not actually definitive. At other times, in his excitement about the wonders of the Estruscans he gets a bit carried away, such as in the lecture in which he imagines a stroll through a theoretical Rome that had had no contact with the Etruscans - no togas, no arches, no paved roads, etc., as if the Romans would never have been able to think of them on their own. But, it is true that the Etruscans had them first when other civilizations in the Mediterranean did not and we have to give them credit for being first. 

I enjoyed the course. Yes, it could have been better, but it was still very good. And, it will help you understand a lot about how Rome became what it eventually became.

Enlightenment on Etruscan history

I enjoyed this lecture series. The subject is covered thoroughly and the information is accessible to non-historians. I found the professor engaging and cheerful but some of his humor came off as lame, and his pronunciations of the Etruscan and Latin woods was halting. Nevertheless I would listen to others lectures from him, because he does provide excellent content.

The Mysterious Etruscans Demystified

An excellent source of information about Etruscan culture and its influence on Roman culture. According to this lecture early Roman culture, especially its religion and government, was shaped by Rome's close contact with the Etruscans.

Having read several books about ancient Rome I never saw mentioned that the early Roman kings were likely Etruscan. Also heard for the first time that Rome's religion was heavily influenced by Etruscan rites.

There was much more information about the The Mysterious Etruscans than I thought was available.