Were the Etruscans truly a separate people and culture? Or did they morph into “The Romans”? Especially because the Romans adopted many aspect of Etruscan culture.
How do anthropologists make the distinction between one people and another. Cultures evolve., people evolve, governments evolve, languages evolve. There aren’t many abrupt changes except through conquest, massive natural disasters or changing climates.
Amazing find! And untouched for 2,600 years. That’s amazing.
It is thought the Etruscans originally came from some Greek isles and settled in Italy. .Their language was entirely different from Latin. Peak development predated the Romans, who came to power later. It is clear that Rome overpowered and assimilated the Etruscans. Rome is known for easily assimilating and using whatever they found in the cultures of conquered peoples. Eg you find statues of Greek and Egyptian gods in Roman ruins. The Etruscans valued and treated their women as equals, including their enjoyment of sex. Rome treated women as property. Lots of good history is available if you read a lot.
The Etruscans spoke a different language, had cities and prosperity for a long while, even ruled Rome. The various foundation stories of Rome were probably either invented as supporting myth, or somehow were adapted from Etruscan originals. The Latin alphabetic writing system was an adaptation of the Etruscans’.
The Romans got their foundations for their civil engineering from the Etruscans, and picked up some habits (such as dining on couches) usually considered Greek. The Etruscans, Ionian Greeks, and Phoenicians had symbiotic economic ties, and all traded by sea.
It is known that there were histories of the Etruscans written by Romans. Sadly none have seemed to survive. Hopefully one day when more of Pompeii is excavated one of these books or scrolls will be found and preserved.