Etruscan Antiquities and Ancient Art
Etruscan culture developed on the Italian Peninsula by the ancient people of Etruria beginning as early as the 2nd millennium bc. At the height of its greatest power (7th to 5th centuries b.c.), Etruria may have encompassed Italy from the Alps to the Tiber River. The name Etruria is the Latin version of the Greek Tyrrhenia or Tyrsenia. Interestingly, the ancient Romans called the people of the country Etrusci or Tusci, from which is derived the name of the modern Italian region of Tuscany (Toscana).
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Etruscan art reveals its relation to that of the Greeks (in both Greece and southern Italy), as well as Egypt and Asia Minor. It also exhibits Italian elements and reflects distinctively Etruscan religious beliefs. Etruscan art had great influence on subsequent Roman styles. Most present-day knowledge of it comes from Etruscan tombs. The Etruscans, like most ancient peoples, did not regard art for its own sake, but created objects for either utilitarian or religious purposes.
