\f1 \fs22 Etruscan society was highly conservative and fairly uniform. At its top stood the kings or lucumones, mos
t of whom belonged to the upper class. The latter's wealth and power were based on farming, trade, and piracy. It is about these noble families, with their large amounts of capital and huge estates, that we know the most. Below the nobility on the social
scale came the middle class, made up of farmers, craftsmen, and merchants. \par
At the bottom of the heap were the multitude of servants and slaves, who were captured during acts of piracy and war. The demand for slaves was very high and there were mer
chants who specialized in supplying them. However it seems that slaves received better treatment from the Etruscans than they did in Rome.\par
