The Etruscans: The Civilization Rome Tried to Forget

Before Rome ruled Italy, the Etruscans built cities, temples, and traditions that Rome would later claim as its own. Their language remains a mystery, but their art, engineering, and influence shaped the foundation of the Roman world—and then quietly vanished beneath it.

Resources Used:

Livy, Ab Urbe Condita (accounts of Rome’s early kings and Etruscan influence)
Strabo, Geographica (geographical descriptions of Etruria and its people)
Bonfante, Larissa & Bonfante, Giuliano. The Etruscan Language: An Introduction.
Haynes, Sybille. Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History.
British Museum & The Metropolitan Museum of Art collections (Etruscan artifacts and sarcophagi)
Cornell, Tim. The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars.