─ñDuring the early years of Rome, the Etruscans were the most powerful people in Italy.ñ
Etruscan territory extended from present-day Tuscany to the river Tiber, where the Vatican City stands today. The Romans, and all the other Latin peoples, owed a great deal of their civilization and technology to the Etruscans. At a time when Roman society was still based around small villages, the Etruscans already possessed the rich cities of Veii, Tarquinii, and Volsinii. They developed trade with other Mediterranean countries, in particular with Greek and Phoenician merchants. This level of development made them highly influential for the emerging cultures of central Italy. The strength of the Etruscans was partially due to their considerable mineral resources, particularly copper and iron. They quickly learned to work metals, establishing forges on the Isle of Elba and on the mainland coast opposite it. Writers of the time describe the skies in this region as permanently darkened with smoke from the smelting furnaces. The Etruscans made a profitable trade out of these metals. They were particularly sought after by the Greeks and Phoenicians, who traded their luxury products in exchange. Large numbers of Greek pots and sumptuous imported objects in gold, silver, and ivory, have been found in the wealthiest Etruscan tombs.
A great deal of mystery still surrounds Etruscan civilization. Around 700 BC, the Etruscans developed their own writing system. Although scholars agree on the interpretation of the letters used in the Etruscan alphabet, the meanings of the words have yet to be discovered. The Etruscans spread Greek and Middle Eastern culture throughout Italy and introduced new technology, such as the working of bronze, and the building of roads and drainage systems. The Etruscans were a deeply religious people. They handed down a great number of rituals to the Romans, one of which was their custom of consulting the gods by interpreting omens. Etruscan women were allowed great freedom, which scandalized the Greeks and Latins. Finally, the Etruscans developed a powerful army, which at the time of the foundation of Rome enabled them to control the broad area from the Po Valley in the north to Campania in the south.ì B ⌡
