Scientists solve the mystery of the Etruscans' origins

LiveScience ^

[ameribbean expat]

A new genetic analysis may have finally revealed the origin of the Etruscans — a mysterious people whose civilization thrived in Italy centuries before the founding of Rome.

It turns out the enigmatic Etruscans were local to the area, with nearly identical genetics to their Latin-speaking neighbors.

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both groups appear to be migrants from the Pontic-Caspian steppe — a long, thin swath of land stretching from the north Black Sea around Ukraine to the north Caspian Sea in Russia. After arriving in Italy during the Bronze age, the early speakers of Etruscan put down roots, assimilating speakers of other languages to their own culture as they flourished into a great civilization.

The finding "challenges simple assumptions that genes equal languages and suggests a more complex scenario that may have involved the assimilation of early Italic speakers by the Etruscan speech community," David Caramelli, an anthropology professor at the University of Florence,

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[BenLurkin]

The antediluvian kings colonized the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis

[BenLurkin]

Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

[the_Watchman]

The article refers to Italic speakers.

I speak Italic! :)

[BenLurkin]

I bet you remember when FReepers would say “Italians off!” when posters forgot to close their html tags.

[definitelynotaliberal]

Grazie di aver postato (per dire). Mi e piaciuto tanto ‘sto articolo.

[Who is John Galt?]

The antediluvian kings colonized the world
All the Gods who play in the mythological dramas
In all legends from all lands were from fair Atlantis
Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

"Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of..."

;^)

[hinckley buzzard]

Etruscans were really cool people. The Romans got a lot of their engineering prowess from the Etruscans.

[BenLurkin]

nice

[definitelynotaliberal]

Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

Great words and applicable to the Aussie situation. In less than 24 hrs., they have gone from being a free country to being a police state.

[Who is John Galt?]

"...And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!"

;^)

[Tallguy]

It turns out the enigmatic Etruscans were local to the area, with nearly identical genetics to their Latin-speaking neighbors.

I wonder how close is 'nearly' as with genetics it doesn't take that much. Second, the Roman origins myth holds that their founders were refugees from the City of Troy and specifically Aeneas. I'm sure Julius Caesar is pretty po'ed wherever he is.

[Wuli]

Two sentences that contradict each other:

1. “it turns out the enigmatic Etruscans were local to the area, with nearly identical genetics to their Latin-speaking neighbors.

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2. “both groups appear to be migrants from the Pontic-Caspian steppe — a long, thin swath of land stretching from the north Black Sea around Ukraine to the north Caspian Sea in Russia.”

“local to the area” and “migrants from the Pontic-Caspian steppe”, are not one and the same thing.

[Jan_Sobieski]

My Ukrainian ancestors created Rome! And all this time I thought they were only Zaporozhian Cossacks

[Claud]

I said to my wife as soon as I saw the headline “I bet that this headline is a breathless exaggeration and scientists haven’t proved a darn thing.”

The Etruscans have the same genetics as the Italic peoples around them, eh? Ok, where did their language come from then, and why isn’t it like theirs?

Etruscan origins has been a 2000-year-old puzzle, and while this study contributes an interesting data set to the discussion, “solved” the matter it certainly hasn’t.

[Claud]

Second, the Roman origins myth holds that their founders were refugees from the City of Troy and specifically Aeneas.

Yeah, the Etruscans are the enemies of the Trojans and Latins in the Aeneid.

[ken in texas]

Ah, the good old days. ;-)

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

• Omniglot: Etruscan
• Palaeolexicon (click on Etruscan)
• Etruscan keyword
• Etruscans keyword

[colorado tanker]

I thought the prior conventional wisdom was the Etruscans migrated from Anatolia?

[buwaya]

Etruscan was a non-Indo European language.
The Indo-European language “homeland” was the “Pontic Steppe”, from which migrating/conquering tribes (the “Aryans”) went East and West.
Etruscan could have been a native tongue of the pre-Aryan European natives, that persisted in the path of the new peoples. Sort of like the Basques - note that Basque-related languages were once prevalent over a vastly greater area than today, even in historical times. Its possible this is a similar case.